“Half-abandoned” is how one resident of Kent Village in St Catherine described the situation in the community after Tropical Storm Rafael.

“We’re about 40 percent fine,” the man said when online observer visited around noon on Tuesday. “We are half abandoned.”

That community member’s main concern was that residents would be isolated from neighboring towns.

Kent Village is located on the banks of the Copper River, near the Bog Walk Gorge. During heavy rains, the gorge is usually closed to vehicle traffic for the safety of motorists, as the road becomes impassable. With no public transport and the clinic located on Bog Walk, accessing healthcare is causing anxiety for some residents.

“What are you offering? Pills or medications? one man asked, mistaking the Observer team for government officials.

He was among a small group of people gathered at a local bar playing dominoes even as Rafael’s rain continued.

During the storm, the district experienced minor flooding on its roads and water damage. According to locals, the same bar where residents had chosen to take shelter had water seeping through the floor from the outside and dripping from the ceiling, as did houses in the area.

“With this excess of rain, many people’s belongings got wet,” another resident explained.

The area was also subject to landslides, a hail of rocks and debris that fell onto the winding road during the Observer’s visit to the area. It left large rocks scattered along the pavement that is bordered on one side by the Copper River and on the other by bedrock prone to sliding.