NWA clears blocked main roads in Hanover

 

The National Works Agency (NWA) says the main road between Hopewell and Lucea and Sandy Bay in Hanover is once again passable. 

 

Stephen Shaw, Manager of Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, said both corridors were affected by overnight rain and a heavy deposit of silt. 

 

Mr. Shaw urged motorists to exercise caution.

 

"We have a lot of material in some of our drains that can easily be dislodged. The focus has been on cleaning and clearing roads for vehicular access. The other part of what we will have to do will come later, which is to reopen or clean some of those channels that have become clogged with washed down materials, and this is one of the situations that happened in Hanover last evening," Mr. Shaw advised.

 

In the meantime, at least one house was destroyed in Cascade by a landslide and there were reports of landslides, flooding and blocked roads in other areas. 

 

Member Parliament for Hanover Eastern, Andrea Purkiss, spoke with Radio Jamaica News while efforts were being made to clear the blockage on that road on Wednesday morning. 

 

"I am here in Sandy Bay. Behind me, there is a traffic pile up. Debris came down from within the communities on the higher side. This drain right here was cleaned before the hurricane. It's blocked up again. Inland, we have landslides in Cascade that I know of so far, we have landslides in Pondside to Cascade, between Cascade to Jericho. I am still awating information from the other areas inland. But right now, it is a disaster all over again in Eastern Hanover. We have the support of the police in trying to clear the road. We have some workmen that have started to clear this area, so we can have productivity speed up a little bit," she said.