Fears flow in St Thomas

JUST over nine months after Hurricane Melissa sent residents of Bath, St Thomas, scrambling from their houses as the Plantain Garden River tore into its banks, washed away a parked car, and threatened to swallow lands inches from their homes, residents say a recent riverbank intervention has done little to ease their fears. Dirt pushed along the edge in July has provided some protection, residents acknowledge, but they insist it is no substitute for a groyne in and the proper channelling of the river. Therefore, they are warning that another bout of heavy rain could once again send floodwaters towards their homes, further eroding the riverbank and putting the wider community, including Bath Primary School, at risk.

They are also adamant that another major weather event, similar to Hurricane Melissa which ravaged sections of the island on October 28, 2025, could finally cause their homes to collapse into the river’s path. Bath resident Tracy-Ann Emanuel points towards the vulnerable section of the Plantain Garden River in Bath, St Thomas, where residents fear another bout of heavy rain could send floodwaters toward their homes. When the Jamaica Observer returned to the area last Thursday the scene was markedly different from the one residents had confronted during Melissa’s onslaught last year.

Dirt had been pushed along the edge of the area where the riverbank had broken away, while additional dirt had been placed in the space through which the river flows, apparently to obstruct the water’s path and keep it from pushing towards the vulnerable section. But for residents who have spent years watching the river steadily eat away at the landscape, the intervention has brought only limited reassurance. Charline Gabas, who lives in the community at the very edge, acknowledged that the dirt has made the immediate area feel somewhat safer, but said it has not addressed what she considers the fundamental problem — the absence of a proper channel to carry the river away from the homes.

Homes teetering on the edge of the eroded riverbank in Bath, St Thomas, where residents say continued erosion by the Plantain Garden River threatens the safety of the community. “Don’t get me wrong, enuh, if this was not here I would not be able to stand up here, cause when mi stand up here suh it is a little bit safer. But listen, what we are saying — because we have been here for ye…