Anxiety abounds in Retreat, Red Ground, Red Road
Published:Sunday | October 26, 2025 | 12:05 AMMickalia Kington - Sunday Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
For residents of Retreat, Red Ground, and Red Road in Westmoreland Western , last week’s torrential downpours brought a familiar misery – flooded roads, stranded motorists, and yet another reminder of the parish’s chronic drainage problems.
As vehicles crawled through floodwaters and thick mud, frustration rippled through the communities. For Member of Parliament Ian Hayles, it was déjà vu.
“We experienced some flooding in Western Westmoreland in the Retreat area, Red Road, Negril Spot, where the entire thoroughfare for the last couple of days has been [locked] in traffic,” Hayles told The Sunday Gleaner.
He said he reached out to the National Works Agency (NWA), which responded promptly.
“They have responded in an efficient and good manner and we have gotten approvals now, so we can be out here doing some emergency work on the road,” he said last Friday.
But Hayles acknowledged that these quick fixes are far from enough.
“This problem has been happening for years now. Every rainy season we have [the same road blockages] in Retreat, Red Road, Negril Spot.”
Residents have complained that a retaining wall meant to stop debris and mud from spilling onto the roadway failed to do its job. Hayles clarified that no such wall had ever been constructed.
Retaining wall
“There hasn’t been a wall that is put in, because if you stop there, there isn’t a wall,” he said. “What they had done was put in some embankment ... to slow down the water. That hasn’t been working either. So we’re going to have to put in a retaining wall. A retaining wall has to go in and the water has to be channelled inland to ensure that the water does not come on the road with the debris and every other thing.
At the National Works Agency, Western Communication Manager Janelle Ricketts confirmed that her team has been keeping a close watch on the affected zones, especially around Red Ground and Retreat.
“We have seen those sections,” Ricketts said, noting that discussions had already taken place about improving drainage in the Red Ground area. “I know we were to look at revisiting a drain that was constructed there some time ago, based on a discussion with the parish manager, but I don’t know of a retaining wall project now. All I know is that whenever the area does come down, we have it cleaned. So they were looking at a drainage system there, and they were also looking at a situation by Retreat, to see how to prevent that from coming down, as we were told.”
According to Ricketts, the situation in Retreat has worsened in recent years.
“It didn’t normally come down in years past, but it has been coming down frequently now, so we are looking at the area to see what can be done,” she said.
Asked whether a long-term solution is on the table, Ricketts admitted that while the agency is studying the problem, a definitive plan has not yet been finalised.
“We are investigating the best way out,” Ricketts said. “But in terms of giving you a timeline right now as a remedy, I am not able to do so.”
With the Meteorological Service of Jamaica warning that Hurricane Melissa could bring further heavy rainfall, Ricketts said the NWA is on heightened alert.
“All we can do is to be on standby to address concerns as they arrive, and really to warn people to be careful how they traverse flooded roadways, and to also check speed, because in the case of heavy rainfall, as we’re expecting over the weekend, things can change quickly,” Ricketts warned.
She also issued a reminder for residents preparing for the storm to exercise caution when clearing their surroundings.
“For areas that are on the embankment, as persons are clearing areas now in preparation for the hurricane, you ought to be careful of how you clear, especially embankments,” Ricketts said. “Some people will be cutting down trees and so on. So just be mindful that those also help to hold the soil together. So for persons living on high embankments and so on, just be careful how you remove vegetation, which helps to hold the soil together.”