Barbados hit by heavy rain, flooding
Scenes like this one where motorists found themselves trapped in fast-rising waters were a common occurrence across the island yesterday.
SOME may call it an overabundance of independence blessings; others will call it the most rainfall they have seen in this country in many years.
Yesterday morning the heavens opened up as dark, grey clouds hovered over the island, bringing back memories of the wet conditions seen 50 years ago when Barbados gained its independence at the Garrison Savannah.
The heavy deluge pounded the island for hours on end. As a result, schools and some businesses closed early. By midday there were reports of several cars being stalled in flood waters, persons being trapped in homes and a tree in the City toppling over causing significant damage to at least four parked vehicles.
Earlier in the day, the Met Office issued a flood warning until 4 p.m., noting that the combination of a trough system and the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (I.T.C.Z) has been generating pockets of moderate to heavy showers and periods of rain across Barbados.
Shocking footage of large volumes of water barrelling downhill could be seen across the island including Holders Hill, the environs of Payne’s Bay and Charles Rowe Bridge to name a few. A family could be seen being assisted out of their vehicle by a good Samaritan in the Belle area. The car was on the verge of being compromised by the high floodwaters. Others could be seen trying to push their vehicles out of the rising floodwaters.
By 4 p.m., the warning was extended until 8 p.m. by the Barbados Meteorological Services, noting that an extensive area of cloudiness and showers was persisting over the island.
“As a consequence, some pockets of moderate to heavy showers, periods of rain and the occasional reduction in visibility can be expected.” (JH)
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