JUST over two weeks after officially opening to the public, Poko Loko floating bar in Ocho Rios, St Ann, not only received a battering from Hurricane Beryl but became the target of looters who descended on the $150-million establishment last Friday, grabbing all they could for personal benefit.

Poko Loko opened on June 15 and received endorsement from Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett who praised the owners for offering patrons a new experience.

“It was a good idea,” one St Ann resident told the Jamaica Observer on Friday as he watched men working in unison, like an army of ants, to remove zinc, boards, and other items from the floating bar which succumbed to Beryl’s fury last Wednesday.

However, the resident suggested that the owners will need to review their security arrangements.

“My boss is a boat man and we all thought that Poko Loko was an excellent idea. We embraced it because we saw it as a good tourist attraction, and people from around here would have employment. Nature just took its course, my brother. The owner can’t swim but he put on some equipment and came to collect two separate items. I believe it was money. The owners are going to come back on their feet,” he said.

At the same time he suggested that the absence of the folklore-like slaughtering of a goat or chicken and the subsequent shedding of the animal’s blood on the site may have contributed to the storm damage.

“I believe that this happened because no sacrifice meat never get fi eat. Did you see how Poko Loko was pretty, sweet and nice? As dem stock it with goods, like high-end Champagne, the storm came. Millions of dollars of goods have gone down the drain,” he said.

In the aftermath of Beryl, photos and videos obtained by the Sunday Observer showed a section of the establishment’s roof caved in, along with other collapsed sections of the structure.

Poko Loko was constructed to provide patrons, including visitors to Jamaica, with an unforgettable adventure on the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. The floating bar spanned 6,000 square feet and offered guests cocktails crafted by skilled bartenders. While being served, guests would enjoy lounging on the spacious deck as they soak up the warm rays of the sun as well as the beautiful natural surroundings.

On Friday one Ocho Rios resident, who obviously supported the illegal activity unfolding at the damaged floating bar, argued that the disaster created an opportunity for himself and his friends to obtain building materials.

“Everything is being removed. You see my brethren who is out there now? his mother’s house and her stall got washed away in the storm. He is glad now to get back something. He is out there hunting right now and mi glad seh no man nuh out there warring with each other,” he said.

Another Ocho Rios resident expressed regret that he had not gone to the site Thursday night.

In Ocho Rios the Sunday Observer sought comments about the looting from taxi operators and other people hanging around vending stalls.

“Yeah man, I knew about it. Based on what is happening out there the owners have to build it back. They won’t care much about the looting. Remember that Jamaica have nuff poor people so looting a go gwaan,” one man said.

He argued, though, that the owners should have taken the bar back to shore and reinforced it before the storm hit.

“The idea they have is excellent. When it was just opening I went on it. It is in-between Mahogany Beach and Moon Palace, within the reef line. It gives a beautiful view, especially from top looking down in the water, because it is clear. Tourists like that. They can do snorkelling in the area, they can drink, eat, and listen to music. Everything was there. It is actually one of the smartest ideas. It was not a bad time to open the place but it is all about safety, security, and precaution, which they never seemed to put in place,” the man shared.

At the opening, Poko Loko, which was described as Ocho Rios’s newest tourist attraction, was poised to employ approximately 80 people.

Chief executive officer and founder Anthony Warren, a United States citizen who became a regular visitor to the island in 2012, shared that the company employed 65 Jamaicans and was looking at hiring at least 10 more in the coming weeks, to bring the number to at least 75.

When the establishment was being launched the mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Councillor Michael Belnavis said he was excited that the floating bar would provide tangible employment opportunities.

Describing it as a unique venture, Belnavis said, “This is a floating dock right on the Ocho Rios Bay. We’re adding one more attraction to the tourism product, which has grown from strength to strength since COVID-19… We’re particularly happy about the economic expansion within the tourism industry, right here in Ocho Rios.”

Bartlett had issued a press release close to the opening of the bar, expressing delight at the new venture which he said was tipped to contribute to well-needed diversity in the tourism sector.

“Poko Loko offers a new experience in Ocho Rios and destination Jamaica. For us, this is what tourism is about. It’s about people wanting new experiences; they want to find another way of expressing themselves, and they want to meet new people. We are excited about enabling more of these kinds of activities to happen because it drives more visitors to Jamaica,” Bartlett said.

“We are at a crucial point in the development of our industry where, for the first time in our history, we are anticipating some three million stopover visitors in 2024. This means a new dimension for generating wealth for the people of Jamaica. That’s three million new opportunities provided for income generation,” Bartlett added.