Flood of woes for Portland raft captains
BERRYDALE, Portland: One of Jamaica’s oldest and most iconic tourism attractions is facing an uncertain future, as repeated flooding, mounting financial losses and a lack of meaningful support threaten to push Rio Grande raft captains out of an industry that has sustained generations of families. For the men who have spent decades navigating the historic Rio Grande in Portland, rebuilding their rafts after successive natural disasters has become an increasingly expensive struggle, with some now questioning whether they can afford to remain in the livelihood.