RESIDENTS OF BRITTONS Hill, St Michael can breathe easier as preliminary exploration of a cave recently discovered in their area has revealed it looks isolated and should not pose a threat.
However, Government’s chief geologist André Brathwaite of the Energy and Natural Resources Department said there was still a need for continued testing to make sure of this.
This seems to be isolated. However, with further probing we can determine the extent [of the cave] or whether there is a danger at that location.
“We are still in the preliminary stage but, so far, it does not look bad and there should be no grave danger to the church. [However] heavy rainfall could destabilize the immediate area,” he said in a telephone interview on Thursday.
Brathwaite and fellow Government geologist Jamar White were on the grounds of the offices of the Eastern Caribbean Conference of Seventh Day Adventist churches where another cave was discovered last month.
They were using a ground penetrating radar device which Brathwaite said would produce an underground seismic image of the area in order to determine the extent of the opening. The $20 000 machine probes to a depth of 30 feet.
Brathwaite said his work was just beginning as he had plans to explore the entirety of the Brittons Hill area to get an idea whether there were any more caves.
Four years ago, a cave-in claimed the lives of five family members in nearby Brittons Cross Road.
