Old Harbour Bay residents seek refuge in high school
Published:Thursday | July 4, 2024 | 12:09 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Several residents of the flood-prone Old Harbour Bay in St Catherine on Wednesday made their way to the shelter at the high school in the town in anticipation of the passing of the Category 4 Hurricane Beryl.
Early signs of its approach was evident through intermittent downpours and that was enough reason for more than 100 people to head to the shelter, some as early as Tuesday night.
Some were seen loading sandbags to secure their roofs before heading off to the shelters.
Joan, one of the shelter’s occupants, told The Gleaner that she did not want to leave things to chance.
“I didn’t want to take any chances. After I heard that it was a very powerful hurricane, I didn’t have any confidence that my roof would stand up, so I chose to ride it out at the shelter,” she shared. “I had bad experiences in the past when I didn’t take the warning seriously and nearly lost my life in one flood rain, so this time, I was not going to be stubborn.”
Dr Kurt Waul, Disaster Preparedness Committee chairman at the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, visited the shelter to observe the operations.
“All our [St Catherine] shelters are activated, adequately manned, with all the necessities in place for those who wish to turn in at one of the shelters. We have been making preparations long before the hurricane season to ensure that we are ready to attend to the needs of the residents,” he told The Gleaner.
In Portmore, which is also known for its susceptibility to flooding, many residents were on edge.
Many took precautions to safeguard their properties, but the uncertainty made them tense and concerned.
“We were open from 7 this morning taking reports and making sure that all 16 shelters are up and running,” Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas explained, after activating an emergency command centre.
A senior citizen, who sought shelter at the Portmore HEART Academy, expressed her reliance on faith, saying, “I am not sure what will happen, but I leave it in the hands of God.”
Despite the clear danger, some residents chose to stay in their homes to ride out the storm.
“We have activated these emergency shelters offering refuge to those who heeded the warnings to seek safer ground, but even after providing transportation, they refused to leave their homes,” the mayor said.
As the afternoon approached, the winds grew stronger and the rains got heavier.
Along the Linstead bypass, fallen utility poles sparked and trees blocked sections of the road. Residents rallied to clear a path for single-lane traffic.
Recognising the imminent threat, the authorities closed the Bog Walk gorge to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic as Beryl’s impact intensified.
Apart from surface flooding in several areas, no major flooding was reported in St Catherine. However, residents of Green Acres in Spanish Town were left without electricity as the winds intensified. Power outages were also experienced in other areas, including Portmore.
The 12-hour islandwide curfew on Wednesday mostly held up in St Catherine, except for one instance in Portmore, when police had to warn a defiant fruit vendor.