Homes and and offices in the Kingston area in the city suffered from slight flooding at around 10:00hrs yesterday, as a result of the koker door not being closed on time to facilitate the washing of the tide. Soon after, Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, accompanied by the Town Clerk and City Engineer, visited the koker to enquire about the rising water level.
The minister said that based on discussions with operators at the koker who were on duty at the time, it was clear that the door was not closed on time. Moreover, there may have been some obstacle that prevented the door from closing to its maximum, leaving a 5-6 inch  gap.

Minister Whittaker, inquiring about the flooding in Kingston from workers at the koker, was told that they had to wait for the tide to fall in order to examine what may have prevented the door from closing fully.
Workers at the koker are provided with a schedule of the tide, so that they can commence activating the necessary mechanism half an hour in advance. In this case, they claimed that all protocols were observed; however, the City Engineer was of a different view.
An investigation is being spearheaded by the City Engineer and a full report will be presented to the authorities today.
A similar situation occurred before and culpable employees were disciplined.