Grandfather Rescues Infant and Cousins After House Collapses Near River in Richmond, St Mary

RICHMOND, Jamaica — An 11-month-old child and his older cousins were rescued by their grandfather after the foundation of their one-room concrete house collapsed on Saturday, sending the structure perilously close to a nearby river in the parish of St. Mary.

Eric Francis, the children’s grandfather, had just returned home when he heard the sound of the house shifting. Realizing something was wrong, he rushed inside and immediately pulled the baby and his cousins to safety. The house, located on Richard Creary Crescent in Richmond, is home to the infant and his mother. It appears that the ground beneath the structure gave way following prolonged rainfall between Friday night and Saturday morning. The heavy rains saturated the soil, leading to the collapse.

This was not the first time Francis had experienced the devastation of a collapsed house. Eight years ago, his own house fell into a river, although he did not specify the cause of that incident. He believes that blocked drains may have played a role in Saturday’s collapse.

He noted that tree branches had blocked the drains in the area, some of which had been cut down but not properly disposed of. The blocked drains, combined with the heavy rainfall, led to flash floods that overwhelmed the drainage system and caused significant erosion to the soil under the house.

As the family begins the difficult process of rebuilding, both Francis and his daughter are urgently seeking help. They are calling on local authorities to address the drainage issues in the area, clear the debris from the blocked drains, and ensure that fallen tree limbs are properly disposed of to prevent future flooding.

Francis emphasized that the house had been structurally sound but was unable to withstand the volume of water that accumulated in the area. The family is now in need of immediate assistance, as they have lost their home and are left without a place to live.