Dainage officials were today working assiduously to alleviate widespread flooding caused by the inclement weather.
??Inundated with calls from across the length and breadth of Barbados reporting incidence of flooding, Director of Drainage, Keith Barrow, urged Barbadians to remain calm.
"We are doing our best and we are asking the public not to panic. We are receiving many calls, we simply cannot answer all.?? Normally, we have four working pumps, but only two are currently in use – the six inch and the three inch. We are awaiting parts from overseas for the four-inch pump, which is currently under repair, while the two inch is unserviceable, so we are seeking a replacement for that one," the top drainage official explained.
Mr. Barrow said drainage teams were working steadily throughout the day to alleviate flooding across the island, including the Christ Church districts of Wotton, Lowlands, Chancery Lane and the top of Oistins Hill.
He added that?? they had also broken?? the sand barrier at the Holetown Lagoon in order to stop it from flooding, and were also preparing?? to break other lagoons along the island’s west coast,?? in an effort?? to improve?? conditions in that part of the island.??????
Pledging his department’s continued commitment to the health and?? safety?? of?? Barbadians, Mr. Barrow appealed to members of the public to assist them,?? "wherever and when possible," by clearing debris?? from around the inlets?? to drainage structures, like well and drains. He, however, warned persons "not to put themselves in danger."
Torrential showers, which are linked to a low-level trough in the South-Eastern Caribbean, have drenched the island for the past two days, resulting in widespread flooding and displacement in some instances.????cgaskin@barbados.gov.bb