Portmore mayor upset as persons on Hellshire and Port Henderson beaches refuse to leave

Chairman of the Portmore City Municipality, Leon Thomas, is lamenting the lack of cooperation from residents in flood-prone communities to move to evacuate, as the powerful Hurricane Beryl approaches the island. 

Mayor Thomas says buses sent by the state-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company left empty as residents refused to move to the designated shelters.

"There are 16 shelters in the municipality with seven people occupying them. We are having problems from those on the Hellshire beach and the Port Henderson beach. Despite the threat they are just not  moving," he said at a meeting with parish authorities. 

He said that the support from state agencies has been very encouraging responding to the passage of Hurricane Beryl.

- Rasbert Turner

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com