The last thing St. Mary wants is a hurricane. The residents do not welcome heavy rains this hurricane season either, even though it is a parish that rely heavily on agriculture.

Port Maria's Mayor, Bobby Montaque, says that aside from the strong possibility of landslides in certain areas of the parish, which may leave some communities marooned, the condition of the drains in the towns is cause for concern.

Not prepared

"I am not prepared for a hurricane now, my drains need cleaning and the extra resources that we normally get from the ministry (Local Government and Environment) to do drain cleaning, we have not received," Mr. Montaque says.

"God help us if we get a hurricane," he adds.

Active season

He also expressed concern that an active season may be devastating to the town of Port Maria if the Otram River bridge in the town is not elevated. Last November, the town was severely flooded after debris lodged on the bridge and caused the in-spate river to rush into the town.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the readiness of the emergency centre, Mr. Montaque says he is uncertain that they may be able to respond to the needs of people in the parish should there be a disaster.

- D.L.