A bird's-eye view of a roofless house in Manchioneal, Portland, one of several dwellings in eastern Jamaica which were ravaged by the gusty blows of Tropical Storm Gustav last week. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

OPPOSITION LEADER Portia Simpson Miller wants several eastern Jamaica communities to be declared disaster areas.

Simpson Miller made the call after touring parishes affected by Tropical Storm Gustav, which lashed the island last week leaving at least 12 persons dead and several homeless.

"In some of the areas that I went to, the people are suffering. Their roads are impassable, their houses have been damaged or destroyed and the people are without water supply or electricity supply," Simpson Miller told The Gleaner Monday.

Hardest hit

The parishes of St Thomas, Portland and St Mary were hardest hit during the storm.

Simpson Miller said that declaring some communities disaster areas would allow resi-dents there to get priority relief attention from Government.

In Spring Bank, St Thomas, Simpson Miller said people were marooned as the road leading into the community has been cut off.

"God help them if someone should slide while walking in some sections," Simpson Miller said.

She called for Government to incorporate the major stakeholders as best as possible in the recovery process.

The opposition leader also said that the bond of brotherhood demonstrated by Jamaicans to help each other recover has been tremendous. She said that people continue to allow this spirit to transcend borders.