WITH a hurricane warning in effect for Jamaica as category 1 storm Elsa strengthens on approach to the central Caribbean, some citizens are stocking up on necessities while others have admitted to being unprepared.

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica (MetService JA) forecast at 5:00 pm yesterday that dangerous effects of the hurricane were expected to affect the island in 36 hours or less.

According to MetService JA, average winds of 119 km/h (74 mph) or higher are expected. But even though winds might be less than the force of the hurricane, dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves, is also expected.

On Saturday night there could be a slight change in the strength of Hurricane Elsa or on Sunday, MetService JA added.

Dwight Gutzmer, 33, who lives in St Catherine, stressed that due to Jamaica’s heightened focus on the novel coronavirus pandemic, the country is not ready for Hurricane Elsa.

“I do not feel that we are very prepared as a country. I think it has a lot to do with us not being focused on anything else other than the pandemic,” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Noting that, on a personal level, he is also unprepared, he said: “I have not stocked up and that’s because of financial constraints that I am facing as I was laid of three months ago.”

One woman living in St Thomas said, although she has stored drinking water, more food items are needed in her home.

She added: “Our back gate is completely torn off, so if winds get heavy, hopefully, it doesn’t fly into our house.”

Meanwhile, other citizens have expressed readiness.

Gareth McLean, 46, who lives in St Catherine, confidently said: “I am prepared. I’ve stocked up on the basics where food items are concerned. I just need more biscuits and tin foods.”

Another woman shared a similar view, noting that she and her family are doing well, but expressed concern about the unfinished construction at her house.

“Seeing that the road is being built in our backyard and our pit isn’t finished, if the hurricane leads to a flood we may have a problem,” she told the Observer.

“We are pretty prepared. We have a tank with water and we restocked on batteries and food. We brought some bottled water packs as well, and if the light goes away, we have flashlights,” said a woman living in Kingston.

With the country bracing for the impending tropical storm conditions, the Ministry of Health and Wellness advised yesterday that its teams will not be administering vaccines on Sunday. All vaccination sites across the island will be closed, and individuals who have made appointment for their second dose of the novel coronavirus vaccine on Sunday are being asked to revisit the ministry’s website.

In the meantime, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie is appealing to those living in flood-prone areas to adhere to bulletins issued by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Met Service.

“Don’t wait until you are impacted. The ODPEM will, over the next couple of days, open a number of lines so that if persons are in need of assistance they can call to get information,” he stressed.

Yesterday Elsa strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season as it blew off roofs and snapped trees in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports. The category 1 storm is the first hurricane to hit Barbados in more than 60 years, unleashing heavy rains and winds on the island and then on St Vincent and the Grenadines, which is struggling to recover from recent massive volcanic eruptions.

Authorities opened dozens of shelters in St Vincent and urged people to evacuate if they lived near a valley, given the threat of flash flooding, mudslides and lahars, especially in the northern part of the island where La Soufrière volcano is located.

Authorities in Barbados said they received calls about families trapped in their homes, collapsed houses and power and water outages, but no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Wilfred Abrahams, minister of home affairs, information and public affairs, urged people to open their homes to those in need.

“We are getting a lot of reports of damage,” he said.

Up to press time yesterday, a hurricane warning was also in effect for the southern portion of Haiti, from Port au Prince to the southern border with the Dominican Republic. A hurricane watch was issued for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba.

The forecast track showed the fast-moving storm rolling toward Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as a hurricane before reaching Cuba and weakening back to tropical storm force.

— Additional reporting by The Associated Press