Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Residents of Caribbean Terrace in Harbour View, St Andrew, prepare for Hurricane Dennis yesterday. Several houses in the area were damaged by Hurricane Ivan last September. - RUDOLPH BROWN/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
UNLIKE LAST September when they were unprepared for the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan, some residents of Caribbean Terrace in eastern Kingston have taken Hurricane Dennis very seriously and were kept busy yesterday battening down.
"I began preparing since Monday, but my only concern is a tree on a gully bank behind my backyard," said 72-year-old Jean Payne, a resident on the left side of Caribbean Terrace.
A number of other residents were using one and a half inch plyboards to batten down doors, windows and grilled gates. But despite the many bulletins, however, several residents seemed to have ignored the hurricane warnings, as there was no evidence of physical preparations.
One resident of Caribbean Terrace claimed she was alert and monitoring the bulletins. She said she was not prepared to leave her residence because there were no warnings of storm surges.
Dorothy Walker, a resident of Caribbean Terrace, said she had plans to vacate the area, but not until today.
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"I am scared of losing my furniture. They stole a lot of things, even the ply that I used to batten the windows during Hurricane Ivan last year," said Miss Walker.
An elderly resident of the community, 75-year-old George Lloyd, whose house was severely damaged during the passage of Hurricane Ivan, has not recovered since. With nowhere to go, he has no immediate plans to vacate the wrecked building which he still calls home.
"Me alone cannot make the decision to vacate the area," Mr. Lloyd told The Gleaner yesterday.
He shares the facility with his daughter Olive, who was not at home when The Gleaner news team visited the area. He said she was is in the process of seeking somewhere safer to go.
Meanwhile, at the nearby Donald Quarrie High School workmen were busy battening down the windows of the school library and computer laboratory.
At the Harbour View Shoppers Fair Supermarket, scores of persons were making their last-minute shopping, stocking up on food items.
Gleaner writers Petrina Francis and Laura Matthews contributed to this story.
