Dwellers in vulnerable areas praying for deliverance

Residents in some flood-prone communities are hoping to be spared the worst from Hurricane Beryl even as they admit they have been lax in their preparations for the looming storm.

“Mi just a hope she (Beryl) turn”, Petal Powell, a 52-year-old vendor from Bayshore Park in St Andrew, told The Gleaner on Monday, hours after the island was placed on hurricane watch.

Powell said she is particularly worried as heavy rainfall had previously destroyed a perimeter wall at the back of her house, making it susceptible to flooding.

Up to yesterday afternoon, she had not yet started to make preparations for the hurricane, but she has intentions to.

“Mi a go put some tape pon mi window. Mi can’t go outside because mi nuh have no ladder, so mi a go just stay inside and plaster a ‘X’ pon di windows and tek down di awning and tie it up,” she shared.

Pamela Williams, who operates a shop adjacent to the drain in the community, is concerned that the gutter, which she said was damaged from previous flooding, will not be able to withstand the heavy rains.

Her anxiety about the storm is heightened as she said the area at the back of her house is prone to flooding. And while she has already made plans to spend the duration of the storm at her son’s “stronger” house, the 71-year-old said other preparation for the hurricane has stalled due to lack of funds.

“Mi nuh have no money, so mi just a pray,” she said.

Camille Wilby is also concerned about what she described as below-standard work done on the drain in the community. Because of this, she fears water will now be coming into her home.

“When di rain fall, it blow in pon di verandah and den di verandah flood. Mi haffi keep on a sweep off, wid dis heavy rain. Mi nuh know how it a guh go,” she said.

But even with her precarious situation, Wilby has not yet started any preparations.

“Yuh have to have cash and I don’t have none right now,” she said.

Her neighbour, Deron Grant, is hoping that the tarpaulin he has placed over his verandah will protect him and his family from the onslaught of the expected heavy rains and winds.

The 41-year-old said he is currently in the process of constructing a concrete structure to replace his two-bedroom board house, which he said has been flooded out on more than one occasion.

The apprehensive father of two told The Gleaner that news of Hurricane Beryl’s advance made him fearful.

“Mi feel a way, y’know, but weh mi can do? Mi haffi just hope seh di hurricane nuh come and lick off di housetop. From di housetop di deh, everything good,” he said.

But just in case things go haywire, Grant said he has a contingency plan.

“If mi see if get serious, mi just lock up di door dem and go up di road up a mi wife and mada and fada yaad,” he said.

Councillor for the Norman Gardens division, Jacqueline Lewis, was in the area on Monday making preparations to clean the drain.

“When di rain fall, normally the entire road is blocked off, once this is not cleaned,” she said.

FLOODING FROM RIVER

Meanwhile, a resident who operates a shop in the Weise Road area of Bull Bay, St Andrew, expressed fears that the Chalky River banks currently packed with dirt could be breached and cause major flooding in the community again.

The business owner, who requested anonymity, recalled her business being flooded by such an occurrence four years ago. But stating that the business was spared the worst then, the business operator is hopeful that this storm will yield a similar situation.

“The last time di gully did burst, is only water come in. Nuh dirt or suh never come in,” the business operator said.

She added that groceries will be hoisted on planks ahead of the hurricane to prevent losses in the event of flooding.

Damion McLean, a resident of Shooters Hill, is optimistic that his board house will withstand the hurricane as he does not intend to go to any of the 107 shelters available for Kingston and St Andrew residents.

“All wi haffi do a hope fi di best … . Mi nuh join dem shelter something deh. Mi prefer stay inna my house and go tru it. Mi see wickeder storm come dan dis and mi nuh go a no shelter,” he said.

Although sceptical that the storm will affect Jamaica, McLean said he will be starting his preparations today.

“All mi plan fi do [Tuesday] is just throw some sandbags pon mi house top. Just dat alone. Mi nuh have nothing else a do,” he said.

Disaster coordinator for Kingston and St Andrew Terry Forrester is urging citizens to take the necessary precautions to secure themselves and their properties from the impact of the storm. She said the municipality is monitoring several flood-prone areas, which include communities in Bull Bay, Port Royal, Riverton Meadows, Seaview Gardens, Mavis Bank, Gordon Town, Harbour View, and New Haven.

She noted that shelters have been activated and equipped with toiletries and bedding to accommodate those in need.

“ We advised all residents to be prepared, we advised all residents to listen to the authorities and take the warning seriously,” she said.

Principal Director of the Meteorological Service Division, Evan Thompson, said on Monday that the hurricane was expected to move into the central and then western Caribbean.

While the trajectory of Beryl has shifted to just along the south coast of Jamaica, Thompson said that projection could change.

Thompson noted that while the hurricane may pass Jamaica as a Category 2 system, it could carry extremely dangerous winds and could cause extensive damage. He indicated that winds of between 96 and 110 miles per hour were nothing to scoff at.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com