Gustav's Fury

Tropical storm rips off roofs, dumps heavy rain on Jamaica

ALICIA DUNKLEY, Observer staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com Friday, August 29, 2008

Gustav, the deceptive tropical storm that snuck up on Jamaica's eastern and southern coasts after a sharp change in course Wednesday night, yesterday blew off roofs and downed trees as it lumbered across the island, dumping heavy rain along the way.

The storm, packing winds of 75 miles per hour and moving at six mph, also knocked out electricity in some areas and left several roads flooded, but there were no immediate reports of injury.

Last night, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) said that a hurricane warning remained in effect for the island. It also said that 700 people were in 31 shelters in Portland, Clarendon, St Elizabeth, Manchester, St Mary, St James, Clarendon with the majority in St Thomas.

Up to late Wednesday, Jamaicans on the island's north coast were bracing for heavy rain and wind from Gustav's outer bands, as the storm was forecast to travel through the Windward Passage on the way to the Cayman Islands and the western tip of Cuba.

A Port Royal resident checks his lanterns yesterday to ensure that they are functional in preparation for the arrival of Tropical Storm Gustav which brought heavy wind and rain to Jamaica, causing rough seas as seen here at Harbour View in St Andrew. (Photos: Karl McLarty and Michael Gordon)

However, overnight, Gustav made an almost 90-degree turn south from Haiti and slow-marched toward Jamaica's eastern and southern coasts.

At least one road was closed in St Andrew as a result of the storm, while traffic signals at several intersections in the Corporate Area were deactivated by the National Works Agency (NWA).

Stephen Shaw, communication and customer services manager at the NWA, said the Newcastle main road, which was damaged by rains associated with Hurricane Fay two weeks ago, was closed, following a further deterioration of the roadway by heavy rains associated with Gustav.

The NWA, said Shaw, activated its emergency operations centre yesterday and put teams on high alert to respond as early as possible to problems relating to the island's road network.

The Normal Manley International Airport in Kingston was closed early yesterday, while the Sangster Airport in Montego Bay was expected to close by 4:00 pm. Air Jamaica, the national carrier, cancelled all its flights, while the state-run Jamaica Urban Transit Company pulled buses from all routes by 11:00 yesterday morning.

Gustav, which killed at least 22 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, was last night forecast to make its way across southern parishes with tropical storm force winds extending up to 45 miles from the centre.

The Meteorological Service said rainfall which was occurring over most parishes was expected to spread towards to the west of the island with an increase in strong, gusty winds.

Duty forecaster at the Met Service, Glenroy Brown, told the Observer that Gustav was not expected to strengthen to a hurricane until after it has passed the island sometime today.
Yesterday morning, thousands of Jamaicans rushed to make last-minute preparations on the approach of the storm.
Several flocked hardware stores where they bought tarpaulins and board to secure their homes, while others went to grocery stores to get water, tinned food, biscuit, bread, batteries for transistor radios and flashlights, and candles.

Thousands of Jamaicans ignored evacuation orders from the ODPEM and refused to leave their homes, despite the threat posed by the storm.

The ODPEM early yesterday issued evacuation orders for people in 20 communities in St Catherine, including flood-prone trouble areas in the municipality of Portmore, Old Harbour Bay, Bushy Park and Nightingale Grove.

Residents in the communities of Hague, Zion, Clarks Town, Salt Marsh, Wakefield, and Bunkers Hill in Trelawny were also told to move to the designated emergency shelters.

In the eastern parish of St Thomas, which suffered considerable damage when Hurricane Dean hit sections of the island in 2007, residents of 16 communities were told to leave their homes and stay at public shelters, while people in the flood-prone areas of Portland Cottage, Rocky Point and Mitchell Town in Clarendon were asked to move to higher ground.

Residents of several communities in Westmoreland, St Elizabeth and Manchester were also advised to head to designated shelters in their area.

Last night, the Ministry of Health appealed to persons with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and asthma who were given evacuation orders to take their medication to the shelters with them.

The Met Service said between six and 12 inches of rainfall was expected from the storm, but up to 5:15 yesterday just over half an inch of rain was reported in Kingston, the Jamaican capital.

Storm surges, said the Met Service, could reach up to two metres above normal tide levels, mainly along southern coastal areas and warned all small craft operators, including fishermen from the cays and banks, to secure their vessels and remain in safe harbour until all warning messages were lifted and wind and sea conditions returned to normal.