Collapsed seawall leaves Negril's West End Road flooded

Debris and flood waters have left several businesses shuttered along West End Road in Negril, Westmoreland.

A seawall in the area collapsed on Tuesday causing severe flooding along that roadway.

Elaine Allen-Bradley, president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the current situation could have been avoided if the National Works Agency (NWA) had responded to a request for remedial work last December.

“Only if they had listened to us, because I did warn them, that this was going to happen if we were to have another bad sea,” said Allen-Bradley in an interview with The Gleaner on Tuesday.

“The livelihood of people living and operating in the tourist destination has been interrupted,” she argued.

Meanwhile, Janel Ricketts, Community Relations Officer at the NWA's western office, said an estimate has been submitted to have both the collapsed wall and the roadway rehabilitated.

“It is a matter that has been on our radar for some time, and we have submitted estimates with a view of rehabilitating the area,” said Ricketts.

She said the work will be done once those estimates are approved and funding identified.

However, no timeline was provided.

-Albert Ferguson

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