KINGSTON, Jamaica — Cassia Park residents are expressing grave concern about a breakaway in the Sandy Gully that they say could threaten their homes when the winds and rain promised by Hurricane Melissa arrive.

The residents say the breakaway occurred during Hurricane Beryl and has only gotten more severe over the last year.

One resident who did not wish to be identified said the breakaway had been brought to the attention of the Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon, who had toured the area after Beryl but never returned.

She stressed that the homeowners affected were not in breach of the building code.

“We do not live on the gully bank, so I don’t want people to think that. I used to have a huge backyard,” she lamented.

When the Jamaica Observer team arrived, we were advised not to go too far into what used to be that backyard as the ground was soft and prone to slippage.

“We do not live on the gully, they say we must be six feet away, the house is more than six feet away,” Daphne Bennett, an elderly resident, told Observer Online on Monday, hours before Hurricane Melissa was due to hit.

The younger woman explained that she is currently building and has spent a significant sum on her home. She expressed frustration that she could lose it through no fault of her own.

“I fear that with this hurricane I could lose most if not everything,” she said.

The residents say damage was caused by a break in the wall of the sandy gully, which occurred during Hurricane Beryl in July. The damage allowed water to erode the hillside causing slippage and breakaways.

Now with Melissa, due to make landfall in a few hours, the residents are incensed at the lack of action by Gordon.

“He has not come back. He hasn’t even come back during election, that’s how much he doesn’t care about us.”

Attempts to contact Gordon were unsuccessful.

However, the residents said their councillor, Beverly Prince, has been trying to assist since Beryl to no avail.

The young woman indicated she had communicated extensively with several government agencies, including the Ministry of Local Government, the National Works Agency and the Office of the Prime Minister.

“We have communicated our situation to all the necessary persons, but to date, we have gotten no real response. The attention that we need is to start working because if no work is done the matter will continue to get worse. We are endangered,” she said.

(Video: Ramon Thompson)