/ Source: Reuters
Heavy rains washed out roadways in mountainous eastern Jamaica and marooned hundreds of people, emergency authorities said Sunday.
Rain has lashed the Caribbean island since Thursday. Flooding and mudslides were reported in six parishes, including Kingston, which only days before was facing a drought that authorities called the worst of the century.
In the eastern parish of Portland, famed for its Blue Mountain coffee, roadway collapses cut off several areas from the rest of the island and left residents stranded.
"We are reminding all residents in flood prone or low-lying areas to exercise caution and make the necessary plans to evacuate," the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said in a statement.