St Bess businessman aims to make furniture from tree that damaged bar
Mountainside unites in post-Beryl recovery, but lack of utilities remain a concern
Published:Wednesday | July 24, 2024 | 12:08 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
The day after Hurricane Beryl’s onslaught, Marvin Lawrence went to his place of business and found that a large tree had fallen on to the roof, compromising the structure.
The resident of Mountainside in St Elizabeth was all smiles last week when The Gleaner caught up with him as a work crew added the final touches to the bar and lounge.
“A electrical work a gwan ya now. It looks bigger but [does not feel] bigger to me because mi know how it did stay. I would say it’s neater, because mi get a better workman to come work this time,” he said, noting that it cost almost $300,000 to get his business up and running again.
“Mi a go buy a load a marl to throw over here so … . Whole heap a work gwan, whole heap,” Lawrence said.
He plans to make furniture out of the large tree that set him back during the hurricane.
“A [that wood] make dresser and dem thing deh. A di best tree dat. One guy come and cut up some of it, but you see, to how it did big, I don’t know when him gonna come for the rest,” Lawrence said.
He said the community has bonded in the wake of the disaster, which he said was like nothing they had seen before.
“We a do we thing. We can’t wait pon politics or politician. Everybody a move in a one right now. A di first mi see di community really come together like that. Mi nuh hear nobody a cuss who a Labourite, who a PNP (People’s National Party supporter),” the businessman said. “Who can give a hand, give a hand. The community a move normal. A just the light and the water [missing].”
The area was still without electricity like much of the parish and Lawrence said that the cost of operating a generator is burdensome.
He noted that while the residents were assisted with water from a well, they had to collectively contribute to buy gas for the pump.
OPTIMISM
Other residents in the community are also on the mend and most of those moving about when The Gleaner visited the area last week expressed optimism, noting that they have passed the worst.
Another bar that was greatly affected by the July 3 hurricane had already been reopened last Wednesday.
A group of farmers, who were having a drink there, told The Gleaner that it was the nature of the people of St Elizabeth to get back on their feet.
“We start the repair process from the day after the hurricane. We start clearing trees and dem tings deh. After that, we start work on our house, and at the same time, help others with theirs,” one young farmer said.
Their main cry was for power to be restored, noting that it was necessary to fight the surge in the mosquito population, one of the greatest discomforts, especially in the evenings.
“The only thing we would hope for is that the vector control people to dem pass through every day … . The mosquitoes dem are just acting mad and crazy. A morning time, when mi a go bush go tie mi goat dem, I have to wear a raincoat, all when rain not falling, just to prevent mosquito bites. When mi all look on the raincoat, dem just sit down in hundreds a wait to attack mi,” one bar patron said.
A journey through the community revealed that several homes were still without roofs and the use of tarpaulins to cover battered dwellings was commonplace.
The Government’s preliminary assessment of hurricane damage revealed that 23 homes in St Elizabeth were destroyed by the hurricane, while 392 were severely damaged. Some 764 were said to have suffered minor damage in the parish.
The Government has announced a raft of measures to provide grants and assistance to Jamaicans affected by Hurricane Beryl.
Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Holness outlined these in a statement in the House of Representatives.
He said that based on the damage assessment received, $1 billion had been earmarked to provide grants and assistance for restoration, reconstruction and relocation.
“The condition that we have agreed [on] is that all potential beneficiaries must be assessed. So … there will be persons who have damage, but not every house that is damaged will qualify for grants for restoration, reconstruction and relocation,” Holness explained.