Gov't considering relocating residents from flood prone areas

"In a short while, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Local Government will be putting together a team with the various agencies, NEPA, the National Works Agency, the KSAMC and the Office of Disaster Preparedness to examine and to look at the areas. We do already have within the database of information the areas that are prone to flooding...such as areas out in East Rural St. Andrew and other parts of the country. So the answer about the question of starting to look at location and to identify places, those discussions are presently taking place," said the minister. 

 

In the wake of last week's incident in which a man and his daughter were killed when a landslide swept their house down a slope in Shooter's Hill, St Andrew, the Jamaica Institution of Engineers has called for urgent action to prevent a recurrence.

 

It suggested that safety checks be carried out on other houses in the area.

 

Heavy rains last weekend caused significant damage across the island, with a number of communities flooded and roads damaged.