SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth

The figures are only preliminary, but the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management ODPEM co-ordinator for St Elizabeth, Yvonne Morrison, is estimating that as many as 25,000 houses in the parish sustained serious damage as a result of the passage of Hurricane Dean.

“It is only an estimate, but the reports we are getting suggest that about 25,000 houses in the parish have serious damage particularly in the south,” Morrison told the Observer West yesterday.

“Everywhere get a touch, but the south get it worst of all. We are talking about wind damage to roofs mainly. A lot of people lost their roofs,” she said. Morrison said reports were also coming in of extensive wind damage to agriculture.

Vegetable crops usually associated with South St Elizabeth including tomatoes, escallion, watermelon and sweet peppers were hit hard. Frank Witter, mayor of Black River and councillor for the Junction Division, estimated yesterday that damage to vegetable crops was up to 70 per cent in communities such as Cheapside, Junction, Southfield, Ballards Valley, Flagaman, Queensbury and Bull Savannah. Also three crops that were close to maturity – pimento, ackee and avocado – were devastated in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Morrison said yesterday that official shelters opened for the passage of the storm were closed following the departure of those who had taken refuge, but about thirty people were still in unofficial shelters in sections of South St Elizabeth. They were being taken care of by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, she said.