TROPICAL Storm Gustav is being blamed for the deaths of three residents of the Mustard Seed Communities, who were said to have died from trauma associated with the storm which hit Jamaica two weeks ago.

The dead include two girls, ages four and five.

Father Gregory Ramkissoon, executive director of the Mustard Seed Communities told the Observer that the children, who were mentally and physically disabled, seemed to have been traumatised by the storm which packed winds of up to 70 miles per hour.

“They were traumatised,” he said. “The nurses will tell you these children are very sensitive and then will just freeze up and their whole system goes down and it takes time for them to get back to normal.”

The four-year-old girl, who was living at a home located at the Mustard Seed’s head offices on Mahoe Drive in Kingston, was the first to die on Saturday. Her death was followed by that of a 21-year-old patient of Sophie’s Place in Gordon Town, St Andrew on Sunday. The five-year-old died on Tuesday, only a few months after she was moved to the Blessed Assurance home in Montego Bay.

Collin Bent, administrator of Sophie’s Place, said it appears that Gustav – which and dumped between six to 12 inches of rain on the island – was too much for the young man who was severely disabled, to handle.

He said the young man had lived at the home since he was a baby and suffered from a number of illnesses including scoliosis.

“The sight of everything must have affected him, because we moved all the children to the school room in preparation for the storm, but when the wall broke the water started to come in, the whole room was under water,” he said. “It took a while to move all of them to safety.

“The damage was extensive and we have lost a great deal,” Bent told the Observer. “We lost the building to the back that houses the laundry and store facility. All the furniture such as beds, the stove, television and building material were lost.”

To make matters worse, the 15-seater bus which normally transported the residents was also stolen, leaving the home with no means of transporting the 24 residents.

Meanwhile, Father Ramkissoon has made a plea for mattresses, baby powder, diapers, towels, clothing, detergent and sheets. Donations can also be made to account number 352197832 at the National Commercial Bank (NCB).