McNeill calls for help for Westmoreland residents affected by flooding

Member of Parliament for Western Westmoreland Dr Wykeham McNeill is calling for the government to immediately release emergency funds to alleviate the flooding in sections of his constituency.

McNeill says sections of Broughton, Station Road, Bay Road, McNeill land in Little London and Peggy Barry in Grange Hill have continued to be inundated with water from heavy rains over the weekend.

“I spoke to Minister [Everald] Warmington on Saturday advising him that there was a real threat to life and property and that the communities needed assistance from central government,” said McNeill.

“We had toured with the Superintendent of roads and works, the Mayor of Savanna la Mar and the Councillors from the affected areas, examining the damage that was done to the road surface and where the flooding had taken place. It was obvious from our observation that steps need to be taken to prevent any further dislocation in the first instance, followed by repairs to the road infrastructure as soon as possible,” he explained.

According to him, the situation is dire as residents have lost livestock, crops, and other personal properties and that children are unable to attend school as their homes are uninhabitable and some roads are impassable.

“We were able to secure some assistance last week from the Ministry of Labour, but much more is required on a larger scale to encompass all those who have been most severely affected,” McNeill said.

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