Residents of Bamboo River ready to take flight

Mindful that their community is likely to be flooded from heavy rains associated with Hurricane Beryl, some residents of Bamboo River in St Thomas on Tuesday were busy preparing to evacuate the area.

“Mi nah stay in ya. Mi nuh know ‘bout nobody else,” a resolute Tanisha Rowe told The Gleaner.

The community, eponym of the watercourse that runs through the area, is repeatedly flooded during periods of heavy rainfall, which causes the river to overflow its banks. And with Beryl expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica, residents are petrified.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Monday urged citizens to evaluate threats to their immediate environment and to make informed choices regarding evacuation when necessary.

Rowe said she had already packed her necessary belongings, and planned on leaving Bottom River later in the afternoon for one of 43 shelters available in the parish.

The 40-year-old recalled witnessing a previous flood in the community, which destroyed her house, and is worried about the impact of that this hurricane will have.

“Mi ‘fraid a storm bad, and di river deh round deh suh weh the diamond burst, so di water can come in pon wi anytime,” she said. “Wi nuh know wah can happen … . Anytime mi hear bout hurricane mi get jiggy.”

Shantel Reid and her partner, Nekio Idol, also shared plans to relocate to a house outside the community later in the evening.

Stating that she has been keeping an eye on the progression of the storm, Reid said its projection left them with no option but to evacuate.

MAKING PREPARATIONS

She said she already had packed essential items and intended to visit a supermarket to get non-perishable food items.

Reid noted that the residents’ precarious situation is worsened by the fact that the river groyne was broken about two years ago.

“The diamond weh hold up di river when di river rise bruk already, so wi know seh dung ya a go have water,” she said.

“Yuh see if we get like a three day, four day worth a rain, di house [flood out]. Yuh can swim off a yuh bed,” Idol chimed in.

Earlier in the day, Idol said he had delimbed some trees around his house, and had intentions to batten down his windows before they leave for safer space.

Reid is, however, concerned about the impact the floodwaters might have on the furniture and other items she will have to leave behind.

Concerns about his property being looted or damaged is why Michael Brown was reluctant to leave his home in the flood-prone area for shelter during the hurricane.

“Fi mi, it would a mostly like send weh di woman and di yute and mi wi gwaan … . Some man dung deh stay a way wid dem finga, suh dem wi see yuh a raise sumn and dem wah come tek it weh,” he said, adding that he is rearing pigs and goats.

While reinforcing his zinc roof in the afternoon, the 32-year-old told The Gleaner that he stayed in his board structure while Hurricane Ivan devastated the island 20 years ago. He experienced flooding, but managed to mitigate the effects by digging channels in his yards to help direct the water.

However, he said that this time, he has made arrangements for his two children and his spouse to evacuate the area before the onslaught of the heavy rains and winds.

Eric Edwards is taking a similar approach.

“Mi haffi set up mi tings dem. Mi cya leave mi place dem unprotected. You know how it go when looting; mi haffi try protect mi something dem,” he told The Gleaner as he paused from battening down his zinc roof.

The 64-year-old shared that he has experienced at least three hurricanes and various tropical storms in Bamboo River and has only left his home once. However, that experience was not pleasant and he has been reluctant to leave his home since.

“If danger, mi nah go stay still; mi haffi guh. But this a my first choice,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com