BASSETETTE, St. Kitts – WITH consistent moderate to heavy rainfall taking place for more than 12 hours, a high ranking member of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force is issuing a warning for road users to increase their level of caution, vigilance and patience when using the Federation’s roadways.
Acting Commander of Division B, Superintendent Travis Rogers told SKNVibes that there is particular concern about the Old Road Bay area and the ghauts.
It is common knowledge that rocks have fallen from the hillside of the Old Road Bay area, some of which have fallen in front of vehicles while others have caused damage to property, injury to limb and in one instance the death of an individual.
“As Divisional Commander for Division B, I would want to urge the travelling public and even the persons who are walking that they must be extra cautious with areas such as Old Road Bay, because we know when it rains what usually happens and it has been raining all night and all day so far. And those hillsides can become very loose in terms of saturated with water and they can come cascading down.”
Supt. Rogers said because of the roadways are saturated, motorists should drive with increased caution.
“So we want persons who are utilizing those sections of the islands to drive with caution and not only at Old Road Bay, but the road is wet and when it is wet it gives rise to increased accidents; the breaking distance and so on is different and we have to ensure that we drive at a speed that is safe for not just you but other road users.”
Consistent and or heavy rainfall often leads to the flooding of ghauts and other watercourses. And with the countryside speckled with these, the Divisional Commander said this is another point on which motorists and other road users should be careful.
“I still extend a word of caution as it relates to the ghauts. We have ghauts running west - Challengers, Bloody Point, Old Road, Godwin Ghaut and Middle Island. And we want to urge persons that if these ghauts are running heavily, do not cross. You have to wait! Exercise caution or patience and wait because it only takes one to two inches of rising water to get your vehicle going down, and we cannot elude the fact that we have vehicles taken down by ghauts that are flowing heavily.
“So far, I have driven to as far as St. Paul’s and none of the ghauts are running heavily. So, so far, we are good. But once those ghauts are running heavily, we have to exercise caution because we do not want any unfortunate incidents.”
The unremitting rain is the result of an “intense trough” which is moving across the Leeward and Virgin Islands. And while no flash flood watch or warning has been imposed, a flood advisory was issued and the St. Kitts Meteorological Office indicated that the situation would continue to be monitored.
