FOR the people of Portland Cottage in Clarendon, preparing for a storm has become routine — strapping down zinc roofs, buying supplies, moving boats inland, and praying the sea stays calm.

But as Tropical Storm Melissa approaches, many residents of the seaside community say they are tired of being forgotten and only remembered after the flood waters recede.

According to Portland Cottage Citizens’ Association President Authnel Reid, while residents have mostly recovered from the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, there are several underlying issues that may affect the community if Tropical Storm Melissa hits.

“This area depends on fishing and we have the bathing beach up there but every storm wreaks havoc on the beach. The white sand beach here is one of the best on the south coast, but it’s washing away bit by bit. We need some kind of restoration or breakers to protect it,” Reid said.

He pointed to what he described as years of neglect of the community and charged that little has been done to maintain the main roads and critical drains.

Reid also expressed frustration that development projects often occur, “off the main stretch”, benefiting few people while the larger community remains vulnerable.

“We weren’t told that this road was going to be fixed — we just saw it happen,” Reid explained, gesturing to a newly paved road in a section of the community. “We don’t know who fixed it or how much was spent, but when the water flows, it floods everyone down there,” Reid added.

Another long-time resident, Levi Harrising, said many of the community’s main drains have not been cleaned in decades.

“Regardless of the storm coming, from June no cleaning done down this side — none at all,” Harrising charged.

“So when the rain falls, all the water from Lionel Town and the cane fields, nowhere is there to lead it to the sea — neither this side nor that side — because the drain don’t clean so therefore, no water runs. It just come right through the district and flood out houses,” added Harrising.

When the Jamaica Observer visited the community on Thursday, several residents shared stories of loss and alleged uneven distribution of aid after Hurricane Beryl.

Dorrett Mitchell said she received a grant of $50,000 to buy goods to continue her vending business and other minimal support for rebuilding her house after Beryl, despite severe roof damage.

“They said I live in a deck house, so they told them I didn’t qualify. But my son’s roof was blown off, and everything got wet. I just used what little grant I got to buy cement,” said Mitchell.

While community leaders have been making their own preparations, they say an official response often comes after the fact.

Reid charged that despite repeated appeals, Government representatives and State agencies rarely act pre-emptively.

Councillor Winston Maragh (Jamaica Labour Party, Rocky Point Division) was seen touring the area on Thursday with representatives of the National Works Agency to begin last-minute work under the Government’s recently announced $200-million national drain-cleaning programme.

“I was called by the Member of Parliament Pearnel Charles Jr, [who] asked me to identify all critical drains that cause flooding on our citizens in Portland Cottage, Rocky Point, Mitchell Town, and Lionel Town. All of these communities on the south coast,” Maragh told the Observer.

“We’re starting the work immediately. Tonight [Thursday] into tomorrow morning, a lot of these drains will be cleared of all the debris and vegetation. This will allow for the free flow of water from the community into the areas that the water is supposed to be discharged into,” added Maragh.

However, many residents do not believe the 11th-hour efforts will be enough to spare them from flooding once Tropical Storm Melissa hits.

“All they do is after the fact,” charged Reid.

The sentiment was shared by Harrising, who said that the day Beryl hit Jamaica in July 2024 was when cleaning of the drains took place in a section of the community.

The roof of the community centre in Portland Cottage has been like this since Hurricane Beryl in July 2024.

A number of fishing boats are seen beached in Portland Cottage, Clarendon, on Thursday as the flood-prone community prepares for the impact of Tropical Storm Melissa. (Photos: Brittania Witter)