St Mary Clears Port Maria Drains as Hurricane Season Gets Under Way

Port Maria, St Mary, 17 June 2026

The St Mary Municipal Corporation has launched an intensive drain-cleaning and flood-control push in Port Maria as the parish braces for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season.

Over the weekend of 13 and 14 June, crews cleared drains, flushed underground channels, pulled rubbish and debris out of waterways and sanitised parts of the town once the clean-up was finished.

Several agencies on the job

The exercise drew in the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the police and NEPM Waste Management Limited, alongside roughly 20 community labourers hired to help with the drains. Police managed traffic while the fire brigade flushed the underground network.

Mayor of Port Maria and corporation chairman Councillor Fitzgerald Wilson said the work is part of a long-running plan to reduce flood risk in the parish capital, which is well known for flooding. He said drain cleaning had been going on since 12 June and that the approach has proved effective in previous years. The aim, he explained, is to make sure that heavy rain can run off rather than back up into streets and buildings.

Wider preparations

The mayor said the corporation has also been renovating the parish Emergency Operations Centre, testing tsunami warning sirens, inspecting emergency shelters and meeting shelter managers across St Mary.

Drain cleaning is set to extend to Annotto Bay and other communities, and money has been sent to all 13 electoral divisions since May for maintenance ahead of the storm season.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November each year.

What it means for residents and property owners

Blocked drains are one of the most common reasons homes and shops in low-lying towns take on water during heavy rain. Clearing them before the peak of the season lowers that risk, but it does not remove it.

Homeowners and tenants in flood-prone parts of Port Maria and Annotto Bay should still keep gutters and yard drains clear, move valuables off the floor when warnings are issued, check their insurance covers flood damage and know where their nearest shelter is. Anyone buying property in the area should ask directly about its flood history.