Dogal Grant, 72, shows the bed spring which is covered by a piece of sponge and a sheet because he had to build a platform to protect his mattress from being soaked and destroyed. The constant flooding in Nightingale Grove has made his nights quite uncomfortable.

PHOTOGRAPHER'S COMMENTS

Nightmare Grove.

That's how I would describe Nightingale Grove, a community that has constantly experienced flooding in St Catherine. Today, I'm looking at three individuals: Luther Allen, 81; Samuel Clunis and Dogal Grant, 72 .

These are three men who I think have been to hell and still haven't come back.

Trust me, seeing what I've seen is enough to drive anyone over the edge. Just imagine loosing almost everything you own in the blink of an eye. That's what these residents of Nightingale Grove face whenever the skies become dark and it seems that there will be rain.

I was really touched when I heard of all the bad experience they have encountered over the years. And, how they feel cheated after investing all they have to get a roof over their heads without knowing of what they would be going through with the frequent flooding in the community. I even saw Mr. Clunis break down emotionally because of this. I hope that some form of help can come for these desperate residents and also others that are affected soon before something even worse happens.

Eighty-one-year-old Luther Allen holds one of his many chickens that he rears in the dreaded community of Nightingale Grove in St Catherine. Allen is one of a few who took the chance of rearing livestock affected by the constant flooding of the area.

An emotionally defeated Samuel Clunis sits on the trunk of one of two cars which he owns and was operating until Hurricane Ivan. Because of the constant flooding in Nightingale Grove, St. Catherine, his yard and home are now taken over by vegetation.

No, this is not a mud lake or farmland cracked because of a drought. Instead, it is mud approximately two inches thick that has built up on the floor in one of the many houses that a number of elderly persons have had to leave behind. - RICARDO MAKYN PHOTOS