THE heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Gustav, as it slowly moved across the island between Thursday and Friday, could not have come sooner for St Elizabeth farmer David Powell.

Seventy-nine-year-old Emily Hibbert mills about her field of escallion as she thanks her lucky stars for being spared the wrath of Gustav. (Photos: Lionel Rookwood)

"Is just pure blessing," he told the Observer.

"We well wanted the water and all the tank them in the area full up, so we can't bawl," he added.

Ballard's Valley farmer Kenroy Banton had some concerns at the approach of the storm. But on Saturday, he was a happy man.

"Last two times (hurricanes Ivan and Dean) we get the big lick so this time we get spared, nothing no wrong with that," he said.

Turn after turn in neighbouring Manchester, the farmers were counting their blessings in one way or another.

According to 79-year-old Emily Hibbert, the waters that came with Gustav provided a perfect boost for her crops.

"The crop dem get a good soaking man, nothing else no happen. When storm a come a so it must come sah," the elderly woman said as she milled about a field of escallion she said she had paid someone to plant.

"We just get heavy rain, but our crops are safe," said Nicole Reid, who plants escallion, sweet peppers, carrots, pumpkins and gungo peas for a living in the Plowden district in the hills of Manchester.

"It could have been much worse, so right now I am very grateful that we come out with only a few scratches," she told the Observer as she tended to a patch of carrots in her front yard.

The same sentiment was echoed by farmers in the Blenhiem, Newport, Knockpatrick and May Day districts.

"We have to give thanks because we just get a graze of Gustav," a farmer said when the Observer visited the district of Downs.

Throughout the Manchester farming belt, there were fields of escallion, cabbage, carrot, thyme, among other crops - a picture of lusciously green beauty.

"We can't say we have been battered," Sevald Manning, a resident of Cross Keys, said. "This one spared us and we give thanks and praise."

A puddle of water, which settled in Manning's driveway, was the only evidence that a storm had passed near his home.
But elsewhere in Cross Keys, many residents were thankful for Smokey Hole - Jamaica's deepest sinkhole - in their community. The district, they said, was at risk of inundation if the large volume of water that drenched the area had not soaked away in the sinkhole.

"If it was not for Smokey we would a wash way. The amount a water that we hear running towards the hole throughout the night you woulda frighten. Is Smokey save we," a resident who identified himself as Chris, said.

Many residents in that district were seen going about their daily chores. It was also business as usual in the bustling town of Mandeville.

But the heavy downpours meant doom for some like tomato farmer Dennis Gayle who stood to lose his entire crop of tomatoes.

"Tomato don't like too much water so them going just wither up and dead. We have to plant all over again," said Gayle who resides in Tryall in the parish.

The story was the same for Hyacinth Powell, who lost escallion and watermelons to the heavy rains.

However, despite the complaints both were still in good spirits.

"We just a take two rum and feel good cause we are not the worse. We lose crops but other lose them life and some have nowhere to live so we nah complain," Powell said.

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