Flooded and ignored - Spanish Town resident left to the mercy of flood waters

While Tuesday's heavy downpour was a welcoming experience for many Jamaicans who have been battling the heat, Spanish Town resident Cindy Ferguson faced a nightmare. Flood waters surged through her house, sweeping away her belongings and livelihood, leaving her desperate for help.

Ferguson said that not only was her premises drenched with the flood waters, she had to watch helplessly as her stall with snacks and other goods, as well as sand and gravel she purchased, were washed away in a gully.

She is lashing out at the authorities who she said constructed a concrete wall near her house, which has been channelling rainwater into her yard.

"I have lost everything including my furniture and clothing items for me and my daughter. I have lost phones, TVs and fridge in the process. I keep reporting the matter to the relevant people and they are not making any effort to resolve the problem. I am left with nothing now," she said.

"Yesterday (Tuesday), the water just start gush through my yard because my yard is now a substitute for the gully since they build the wall. There are a lot of big trees growing in the gully and the small hole that they cut out for the water to run can't manage the pressure, so it just come in my premises," Ferguson added.

Ferguson's anguish is compounded by the looming threat of the hurricane season. With forecasters predicting an active season, her vulnerability is stark. Forecasters have predicted that the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season will be a very active one. The ominous forecast has Ferguson on edge. She said she has been writing letters to the St Catherine Municipal Corporation for more than a year, but without success.

"I am just getting the run around and all they need to do is just address the problem. I complained until I tired," Ferguson said.

The property owner said she has lost more than $500,000 in goods since the wall was erected. She also claimed to have been affected at least four times since last June.

"I have never been compensated and every time I have to pick up the pieces by myself. ... Last year June is firefighters have to come rescue mi and mi daughter when the water come in the house on us," she said.

"My shop is my livelihood because it is what I use to take care of my child. Not even little bleach mi nuh get and is sewage water mixed with the rain come down on mi," she added.

Contacted for comment, Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott said the drain is the responsibility of the National Works Agency. He, however, stated that his office will be looking into ways to rectify the issue.

"Because it is in such close proximity to the municipal corporation, I have asked a team to go and investigate what happened yesterday (Tuesday). I have heard that the volume of water that was on the road yesterday in Spanish Town is very much unusual but they are looking at it," Scott said.