One of many residences in Swamp, St Ann, affected by flood waters for the last four years. - Photos by Carl Gilchrist

Residents of Swamp district in Moneague, St Ann, who for almost four years have been severely inconvenienced by flood waters fed by underground caverns, are calling for a bridge to ease their plight.

Persons who live beyond Swamp, in areas such as River Head and Clapham, and who have to pass through the flood-hit community, are also calling for an overhead to escape the fluctuating water levels.

Swamp residents who spoke with The Gleaner on Saturday are not particularly concerned that the hurricane season might bring showers that trigger a rise in water levels. Rather, they are concerned about their day-to-day living expenses as flooded roads have forced long detours by taxicabs which charge fees that have shot up by 500 per cent in some cases.

"The only thing dem can do is to build a bridge so you can get out. Only bridge we need," said Wickham Buchanan, otherwise called Hugh, who has lived in the community for several decades.

A great problem

Buchanan explained that prior to the floods of October 2005, water would usually rise during the rainy season. However, it came from one source in the eastern section. That overflow was caused by the merging of that source with another from the west, he said.

"We never have the two side water come in an' affect we. When it was one water, we never have a problem 'cause it draw down, but since that water and dis yah water come in one, a deh suh we have the great problem," Buchanan explained further.

He surmises that the water from the eastern direction had an underground source.

No roadway

Although water levels have fluctuated over time, several buildings still remain under water and some roads cut off.

"We nuh have nuh roadway, a people place we haffi walk through fi come in," said another resident.

He said taxi fares have skyrocketed from $50 to between $150 and $250 because of detours.

Meanwhile, a River Head resident who gave his name as Shamel, expressed concern about the road conditions, especially as the historically most active hurricane months - August and September - are fast approaching.

"We need help to fix the road, just that the road. It's the rainy season now, the back road really needs fixing; we don't have no way out," he said.

Another citizen, Joslyn Green, had to get off his bicycle and push it along a hillside to avoid the flooded road below. He said the water had receded somewhat after the initial flooding in 2005 but rose again in June 2008.

But amid the complaints there was a ray of sunshine.

Swamp resident Vernon Williams decided he was not waiting on authorities to address the problem.

The Gleaner caught him and a friend dumping up a section of the flooded roadway with marl - a temporary fix - thus enabling pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

"We're doing some community work. We live here. The road that is blocked affects us so, therefore, we just need to put our resources together and do something to improve whatever we have here.

"We can't depend on Government to do everything ... so we just have to put hands and hearts together and see what we can do," Williams said.