RESIDENTS of Gordon Town are expressing relief after Tropical Strom Elsa passed close to Jamaica on Sunday with little to no damage to the St Andrew community.

Though the storm dumped heavy rain on sections of the island on Sunday, Gordon Town was one of the lucky communities, with residents telling the Jamaica Observer how thankful they were that they were unscathed by the storm.

A man who identified himself only as Morris, who has been living in the area for more than 10 years, said that his main concern was landslides but he is happy that there was no further damage to the section of the road that broke away last November from flood rains associated with Tropical Storm Eta.

“My hopes faded when I saw the amount [of] rainfall [but] now that Elsa has passed with limited damage to the area, I’m happy and grateful that we made it out safely. I am really happy that the road isn’t damaged as well because it’s just being fixed, and everyone would be put at a disadvantage if it takes even longer to fix, especially the students,” Morris told the Jamaica Observer.

Another resident of the rural community, Daniel Willkie, said she was really worried about the weather system but now she can breathe a bit easier.

“I was so worried. I know that in Gordon Town there [are] always landslides with heavy rains and, considering that the storm came with a lot of rain, I was worried all day on Sunday. Thank God nothing bad happened,” said Willkie.

Resident Conrod Kirkland, meanwhile, told the Observer that he wasn’t too concerned with the storm because he had faith that it would pass without too much damage.

“Mi never too concern because me know nothing never did a go happen. The good thing is that nobody nuh dead, you know. All it do is give we a little rain fi cool down di place,” said Kirkland.

It was a similar story from another resident.

“Mi just grateful that nothing nuh happen. We know when storm come it can be very unpredictable, so when me see that it’s only rain we getting, not even little breeze, mi just haffi thank God because a him mercy alone, you know,” said the resident who asked not to be named.

Thirty-three-year-old Rose-Marie also expressed her relief that the community was spared the full force of the storm.

“Bwoy mi just have to give thanks, enuh because anything could a happen and me never wah wake up and hear that somebody dead. God really merciful. The only thing now is just to wait on the clothes fi dry pon the line.”

On Sunday several roads, mainly in Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine and Clarendon, were flooded as a result of the heavy rain associated with the tropical storm.