A TROPICAL WAVE turned Tropical Depression Number 10, which redeveloped south of Kingston yesterday, still has the potential to become a Tropical Storm, the Meteorological Service said last night.
The depression which caused two days of rain islandwide was moving slowly off the south coast of Jamaica towards the west-northwest with gusty winds and some more strengthening forecast. A flash flood watch remains in effect today, meaning that flooding is possible over flood-prone areas and people should be on the alert for potential flooding and make reports where applicable.
The area of disturbed weather, the Met Office said, is located mainly to the south and east of Jamaica and periods of light to moderate, some times heavy rainfall will continue to affect mainly southern and eastern parishes. Rough seas and heavy thunderstorms will accompany the system.
Meanwhile, rains yesterday affected school attendance in St. Catherine and caused several poultry farmers in that parish to move their chickens to higher ground.
The rains also affected National Water Commission (NWC) work on a pipeline in Manchester, leaving several communities without piped water.
Principal of the Eltham Park Primary School, Lister Linton, said his usual attendance of more than 1,200 students was reduced to less than 50 per cent as rains lashed St. Catherine.
Co-ordinator of the St. Catherine Parish Disaster Preparedness Committee, Yvonne Mundel, said the committee was busy educating residents living in flood-prone areas, such as Nightingale Grove near Old Harbour and Sunnyside near Linstead, on ways to cope in the event of a flood-related disaster.
Poultry farmers living at Sunnyside, near Linstead, where the Rio Cobre is a threat, also moved their chickens to higher ground, as during the May floods several of them lost chickens when poultry houses were flooded by the river.
The NWC also advised customers served by the Spring Ground water supply system in Manchester, that repairs to an eight-inch main along the Spring Ground to Spaldings Main Road had been delayed due to the weather. Affected areas include Limit, Spaldings, Richmond, Santa Hill and Cobbla.
In the meantime, water is to be trucked to affected areas.
