By Francine Black, Staff Reporter 
That residence is now under threat of the force of the rising waters.
IT SEEMS like only a few months ago that they were forced to evacuate their flooded homes, and again the rains have come and again the persistent water has sent them packing.
This time, a lack of river training, stolen water pumps and the absence of a proper drain maintenance programme are being blamed for the flooding in New River, St. Elizabeth.
The community has been under flood waters since Monday as torrential rains continued to lash the area. Residents are tired of the rising water worries. Last year July and August they were faced with the 'floods' and now they are demanding that 'something' be done to permanently fix the situation.
According to the residents, the cleaning of the river and drains which run through the community ceased in 1972.
George Dunkley, an elderly resident told The Gleaner that he worked with the Parish Council between 1954 and 1970. He said then, he was very active in the maintenance of the river.
"If tree drop in deh, a me dem come call. (But) since 1972 dem stop clean di river," he said. He claimed that apart from major floods in 1933 and 1951, last year and this year were the first times they were experiencing flooding of this kind.
According to the residents, 16 pumps installed at the border of the community and the river to release excess water into the river were stolen in bits and pieces. In some cases, the entire pumps were stolen. The pumps were installed in the 1970s when rice was being planted in the area to remove the excess water from the fields. More than 12 years ago the pumps were taken out of commission for repairs. The repairs were never done and during this period the pumps were stolen.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the area by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) on Thursday. However, the order has only been obeyed by those who have been washed out of their homes.
While touring the community yesterday The Gleaner newsteam came upon many impassable roads under several feet of water. Beverly Duncan, a 53-year-old resident told The Gleaner that she evacuated her home Thursday night. She and her six grandchildren moved into her sister's two bedroom house, creating a crowd of 14 at the residence.
That residence is now under threat of the force of the rising waters. "It look like wi soon haffi move, cause water a full up the yard," Mrs. Duncan said.
The community's livelihood has also been affected by the flood rains. Farmer of many years, Derreck Scott's chicken coop was flooded out after his reinforcement of grit and marl gave way. The area which was flooded twice last year saw him losing over $2 million. He pointed out that if the water rises to similar proportions he could experience another significant loss.
Fishing, the other main income source in the community has also been affected as many fishermen have been unable to ply their trade.
Residents are calling on Government to treat the situation with the urgency it deserves.
