Tempestuous times

Still reeling from the effects of Tropical Storm Nicole, some residents in parishes such as Clarendon, Trelawny, Portland and St Ann are now faced with the threat of a second storm. They tell The Gleaner how prepared - or unprepared - they are.

 Wakefield citizens alert to potential danger

WESTERN BUREAU:

With Tropical Storm Tomas heading in a westward direction towards Jamaica, residents of Congo Town in Wakefield, Trelawny, are admitting that they are not prepared to face its potential fury.

Several residents told The Gleaner yesterday that their preparations for the storm were minimal, and pointed to several yards and houses which have remained inundated since Tropical Storm Nicole.

Pool of water

Melda Stewart, known in the community as 'Miss Little', has a large pool of water in her frontyard. She said she has moved some of her belongings into a house next door, but there is not enough space there for her.

"Mi have some of mi things dem pack next door, but mi nuh know if mi can stay over there cause di place pack up, so mi haffi just stay here and watch out. If storm come, well, mi will see if mi can siddung pon one chair or something, cause di place full up over dere," she remarked.

Another resident, Bridget Brown, said the community could not make any adequate preparations due to lack of funds.

"No money, nothing to make any preparation. Time gone, we could do that, but we can't do it now," she told The Gleaner. "And if this storm hit us, boy, mi a tell you, I don't know."

A third resident, Mavis Lawrence, noted that there is a sinkhole in the community that has not been cleared and has contributed to the amount of water in the residents' yards.

- Christopher Thomas