By Damion Mitchell, Staff ReporterTHE FISHERIES Division of the Ministry of Agriculture was forced to close its administrative offices on Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston yesterday because of severe flooding caused by Wednesday afternoon's heavy rains.
The flooding occurred after a gully, which runs adjacent to the division, overflowed. This resulted in large volumes of water and debris flattening a section of the chain link perimeter fencing, dislodging a metal shutter and breaking two glass doors before entering a section of the ground floor of the Fisheries Division. Eight motor vehicles parked on the premises were also disabled as a result of the flooding.
Up to late yesterday afternoon, staff members at the department were still cleaning debris from their offices, and according to André Kong, director of fisheries, it was uncertain whether normal operations would resume before Monday.
DETAILED ASSESSMENT
He said that while a detailed assessment of the damage had not yet been done, indications were that the division would incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
According to Mr. Kong several computers, and other equipment in addition to numerous documents from two of the division's departments were damaged during the flood, restricting their capacity to sell fuel for their engines and to complete registration.
This was the fourth time within the last six years that the division was being flooded by water and debris from the gully with overgrown grass and piles of rubble, but according to Mr. Kong, this was the worst he has ever seen.
The Gleaner has learnt that two officers from the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation, which has responsibility for maintenance of the gully, visited the site yesterday and noted that it had to be addressed urgently.
Attempts to contact the city engineer, were unsuccessful.
In the meantime, employees at the Fisheries Division say they are concerned that another heavy shower of rain could result in more flooding.
