Preparing for Elsa

Some Jamaicans left nothing to chance in their preparation for Tropical Storm Elsa yesterday, even as others questioned the severity of its impact on the island today. From battening down roofs to stocking up on grocery items, regardless of the scepticism, all day yesterday was busy as many Jamaicans made themselves ready for the strong winds and rain expected.

So, too, has the Government, according to Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, who in a late afternoon release said all agencies were prepared for any impact the downgraded Tropical Storm Elsa may bring. Days earlier, Elsa impacted several Caribbean islands as a Category 1 hurricane.

“I want to assure the country that the Government is as ready as we can be to face the challenges,” said McKenzie, who toured shelters in Clarendon on Friday. Denbigh High, Osborne Store Primary and Junior High, Rocky Point Community Centre, and the Bustamante High School are among the designated hurricane shelters in that parish.

COVID-19 protocol

All hurricane shelters islandwide will be operated with the strictest COVID-19 enforcement measures, said McKenzie who urged patience and understanding from those who may turn up to occupy them. Several communities in Clarendon are prone to flooding.

“I think Clarendon has one of the best disaster response teams in the country. Clarendon, along with about five other municipalities, has been using the technology of drones to assess the vulnerable areas across the parish. That is something that is commendable and I think we must commend them for that innovative approach,” said McKenzie.

Meanwhile, Pearnel Charles Jr, minister of housing, urban renewal, environment and climate change, who weeks ago all but begged greater support from other agencies and the public at large in exercising his mandate, was “very impressed” with preparation hours before the storm was projected to impact Jamaica.

Residents have been executing mock drills in preparation for the storm and Charles said they have “guided us on how our residents are to interact inside the shelter and how they will be engaged in the event of any unfortunate circumstances”.

Yesterday, the Meteorological Service Division downgraded the hurricane warning for Jamaica as Elsa weakened. The centre of the storm was projected to move near the southern coast of Hispaniola late yesterday and pass northeast of Jamaica this morning.

From yesterday morning, residents of Linstead, St Catherine were in longs lines at financial institutions, hopeful to secure funds to purchase grocery items ahead of the storm.

Some, like Bertrand Gentles, were delayed in their efforts. “From early I have been out here trying to get my PATH payment so it can help me to buy likkle grocery if Elsa come. I don’t know why we have to wait so long,” he lamented.

While residents of the commonly storm-battered Old Harbour Bay fishing village wished the storm would never come, they are not complacent.

“We not taking any chance. We know how much beaten we get over the years. We have been on edge from the start of the hurricane season. We can still remember the destruction of boats, fish pots, nets, and even lives,” said boat owner Marcus Troupe.

Fisherwoman Novelette Walker said her boat engine is just six months old and therefore she could not afford to lose it in the storm.

“You see it? Is $600,000 mi pay for it, so I have to put it on the sand. Me can’t take any more losses. I lose one boat before,” Walker shared.

editorial@gleanerjm.com