Sunday’s heavy rains put a bit of a damper on Easter celebrations, but thankfully did not continue into Monday as expected. The flash-flood warning issued per 6:00am was consequently no longer mentioned in the 6:00pm forecast.
Precipitation was welcome after a relatively dry spell, although the island’s runoff systems could not handle the vast amount of water in such a short time.
The result was flooding in low-lying areas. Several motorists got stuck in the usual locations and occupants had to be rescued from their vehicle in at least one case.
It’s actually amazing that people familiar with the island would find themselves in that situation. After all, the stretches of road that tend to inundate are well known and best avoided under those circumstances.
In general, a good rule of thumb is never to venture into any standing water if one can’t tell its exact depth, certainly if nobody else has done so without incident. And even if others manage to pass through safely that’s never a guarantee, because cars can behave very differently in that aspect also depending on their height from the ground.
Some argue that an adequate infrastructure would put an end to this kind of street flooding, but that’s not entirely realistic. In certain spots practical solutions are difficult to come by, while much has to do with how much rain falls during what period. There is always a maximum to what the best runoff systems in the world can accommodate.
Other than some stalled-out vehicles no damage or personal injuries were reported and Monday’s night’s Jump-Up and opening of Carnival Village was not affected. In that sense, Mother Nature’s timing could have been far worse.
