KINGSTON, Jamaica – Nearly two months after Hurricane Beryl brushed Jamaica’s south coast, beach operators across Portmore, St Catherine say they’re still reeling from the effects of the Category 4 storm.

A visit to several beaches across Portmore on Thursday showed remnants of the destruction as several shops which once buzzed with life stood tattered, void of customers. According to business owners, what would usually be a bustling summer period turned out to be a “struggle” since Beryl hit less than two weeks into the season on July 3.

“It’s been a bit of a struggle. During the week it’s really slow here. On weekends, Friday to Sunday, turnout trends up a bit but throughout most of the summer, not a lot of people have turned up to the beaches,” said Kerry, a representative of Boardwalk Beach. “We were closed for a while even before Beryl. We had just reopened in May and then Beryl came in July. We had to close the shop again because we lost the roof to the kitchen and as you can see, we’re still cleaning up and doing repairs months after the storm.

“We’re open now but we can’t operate at 100 per cent. Because we’re refurbishing, many people don’t even know that we’re open. So when they come, many take a look inside and turn back. It’s really taken a toll on business,” she explained.

She went on to express that as a result of the condition the beach was left in post-Beryl, some patrons complain about the state of the facilities, especially since there is a charge to access the beach.

“Some people complain that the beach is run down but it’s clean. The water is clean and we’re really trying our best to get everything up and running again,” she said. “You have some people who understand that we just had a big storm and so they don’t knock it as much, especially the tourists. They love the beach and they are happy that we have certain facilities like showers and bathroom areas that are clean and functional.”

Similar sentiments were expressed at the neighbouring Ultra Beach, with operators there describing summer 2024 as one of the worst ever for business.

” Last year was much better in terms of people turning up but I know it’s because of the storm,” said shop operator, Shamara Nelson. “Because of the storm, we have to be doing a lot of fixing up. We were closed for about three or four days after the storm, trying to clean up because the truth is, we never believe the storm did a come. Everything kinda just happened sudden and after the storm, the kitchen on most of the shops were damaged. We still nuh fix back some a dem.”

Lamenting that they have to dip inside their own pockets for rebuilding efforts, the shop owners at Ultra said that in addition to those expenses, they’ve had to contend with higher than normal fish prices, as fisherfolk were also dealt a heavy blow from Beryl.

“A lot of things are scarce and so the price dem sky high. Before the storm we used to pay $1,100 per pound for fish but now we’re paying $1,500 and up for it,” she continued, indicating that the latter has resulted in losses for shop owners who have to keep the prices of their meals stable. “We can’t increase the cost of food over here because people are already complaining that it’s too much so we have to keep it at a minimum. So while we’re paying more for fish and other products, we have to keep our prices steady. At the end of the day, we want to keep the customers coming. We don’t want to scare them off with high food prices.”

In fact, speaking of high prices, one patron who brought her daughter out for a final getaway before the start of the new school year on Monday, pointed to high cost of living as one of the main reasons people are opting to skip summer treks to the beaches or rivers.

“It’s just too expensive to do these things. I’m only here today because I owed my daughter a day out for the summer. Beryl at almost the beginning of summer vacations and in addition to what some spent to prepare for the storm, many still had to be spending to rebuild after,” said the woman who identified herself as Stacy. “After all that Beryl drama, people still had their regular bills and of course back-to-school to think about.

“This summer just wasn’t it,” the mother added. “I remember when I was a child and summer was fun because a lot of the beaches and rivers used to be free so you could just go. Now, even the free beaches yuh affi pay something as ‘contribution’. So is like everything attract a fee, a better you just stay home.”

As patrons and beach operators alike look forward to the future and ultimately a full recovery from Beryl, they’re dreading another hurricane as the peak of the season approaches.

“Lawd God, nuh badda talk too loud because we can’t take another one (storm),” said Kerry. “It’s like we foot wash weh wid Beryl and we can’t find it back all now so I can’t even imagine another hurricane. I just want us to finish off the season and hopefully Christmas will be better.”

Nelson added: “Summer done and we can’t do anything about how it turned out. We just affi move on and look towards Christmas. I pray we don’t get another storm because Christmas would be over before it even start.”