ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica — At the entrance to Parottee, a community known for fishing located just outside Black River in St Elizabeth, broken light posts, loose and broken light wires are a stark reminder of the devastating effects of Hurricane Beryl.

It’s been some six weeks since the passage of the category four storm, yet, the community remains without power. Striking up comparisons between Hurricanes Gilbert (1988) and Ivan (2004), many residents described Beryl as the worst hurricane they’ve ever experienced. As they sat on their verandahs in an attempt to escape the heat collected in their houses, many bemoaned the electricity predicament, outlining that their livelihoods have suffered severe blows.

Residents, who are mainly fisherfolk, told Observer Online that they have not been able to fully carry out their trade as they do not have the proper facilities to store their catch for extended periods.

Audley Drummond told the news team on Thursday that he has had to sell his fish at a reduced price to ensure everything is sold.

Audley Drummond said he has had to sell his fish at a reduced price to ensure everything is sold. (Photo: Gavin Jones)

“We have to decrease the price to get it sell off. We sell it for all $700, $600 because we want to get them sold off fast enough. Right now round a back me have one we call sunfish, some people call it black snapper so me ago get some ice for it and see if me get it sell. That would a normally sell for $1000 a pound but now if me get 6, 7 or 8 me haffi run with it,” Drummond said.

Another fisherman who identified himself only as ‘Soji’, said as the head of his family of six, he too has had to reduce his prices when he goes to sell his catch. He also revealed that there are instances where he has had to give the fish away for free.

‘Soji’, said as the head of his family of six, he too has had to reduce his prices when he goes to sell his catch. (Photo: Gavin Jones)

“It rough and tough and hard, trust me,” Soji said, rubbing his head in frustration. “We have to do that because if we don’t move same time the fish is going to spoil and sometimes it don’t even sell so we have to give it away because nobody has anywhere to store fish. People mostly buying a pound or two pound just for the day because they don’t have anywhere to store it either.”

“If we do buy some shrimp because that’s what we use for fishing, we have to buy ice to put it on and if the ice melt out you know the shrimp go bad and fish nah go bite on the stale shrimp. So it’s hard, anywhere we take it, it hard,” Soji added.

As they head into September, (Beryl made landfall on July 3) residents are crying for some reprieve. They say the combination of the heat, mosquitoes and complete darkness is utter torment.

For Shanille, a mother of two, including a little girl who is disabled, rest evades her as she has had to take care of her children through the night.

“Inside hot and outside full of mosquitoes and my daughter nah sleep inna di dark me haffi lay down with her fi she sleep. Me haffi a fan she and my son at the same time and you see the delco (generator) a nuh everybody can afford it plus the gas and the solar and all of that and it very hot. And me have me daughter, she nah sleep without me, so me haffi deal with she, me haffi deal with me son so it very complicated,” Shanille said.

“Me barely get sleep because if you hot inside and you come outside, a mosquito greet you so basically you are at no peace because we live in a mosquito zone so it really hard,” she added.

When Observer Online visited the area on Thursday, team members from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) were in Parottee replacing broken light poles and wires in an effort to meet the revised August 31 deadline the company has set to fully restore power to St Elizabeth.

Residents are also hoping to carry on with rebuilding efforts as the rubble from destroyed homes still lay strewn across sections of the community.

However, some community members are not impressed by the company’s reaction to their plight, as they argue that JPS is only there because of ongoing protests.

“If we didn’t protest JPS would not be here,” said Soji, “We all came out and protest because everywhere else getting light and down here (Parottee) is like they are saving it for the last so we have to go out to make them know that we definitely need the light.”

Still, they remain hopeful that the electricity will be restored soon so they can return to some level of normalcy. They are also hoping to carry on with rebuilding efforts as the rubble from destroyed homes still lay strewn across sections of the community.

“We have to try and manage without the light but we want to get back to normal. Once JPS come in, we can stay longer at sea and some house top can put back on,” Drummond said.

While they wait for the power to return, many have expressed gratitude to corporate entities and members of the Government who have visited the area and brought care packages, water and taken the names of those who need help to rebuild.