‘It come like a God a come’ - Residents say damage in Eight Miles unprecedented
Published:Tuesday | August 25, 2020 | 12:23 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
Homes on edge, a truck held up by its fuel tank on the riverbank, and an uprooted utility pole resulting in a power outage.
It was a scene residents of Eight Miles in Bull Bay, St Thomas, said they have never seen before.
Severe weather associated with Tropical Storm Laura, the outer bands, pelted the parish on Sunday.
Scores of residents gathered at the Eight Miles bridge on Monday morning to view the damage caused by the roaring Cane River, which they said kept them up in the night.
Junior Gayle told The Gleaner that about 15 feet of the land on one of the riverbanks was eroded by flood waters.
“When mi hear di rain and di stone dem inna di river, it come like a God a come. Mi couldn’t sleep,” he recounted.
“Mi come out last night inna di 10 o’clock when mi hear di river and mi stand up a di bridge and it was a terrible sight,” said George Phillips.
Phillips said they have experienced hurricanes in the past, but none have brought so much rain and damage.
“The way di water did a move, mi think di bridge did a guh guh weh,” said Phillips.
Another resident, Ryan Gayle, whose shop and bar are currently under construction in proximity to the river, said he is now reconsidering his plans following the damage caused by the tropical storm.
“It never stay like dis. Di land space did much bigger. Mi spend how much money fi block up di place, and right now me have bout 300 block inside weh mi buy since year,” he said.
Gayle shared that he is now mulling over using the material for another purpose, as continuing to invest would be a grave risk.
He has suggested that the authorities have the boulders removed from the river channel, which, he said, would result in a freer flow of water, putting less pressure on the riverbanks.
“The middle high and the corner free, suh di water travel where it get the space and water dun di whole place,” he said.
“If we get a next day rain like this, a bigger damage. Maybe nuh road nuh lef fi go a St Thomas coming from this side,” Gayle lamented.