Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer

Motorists using the Portmore Parkway located between the communities of Edgewater and Bridge View in Portmore, St. Catherine, were yesterday forced to use the soft shoulder as utility poles fell in the roadway during the passage of Hurricane Dean. - Anthony Minott photo

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:

Strong winds and heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Dean forced almost 1,000 residents of St. Ann to seek refuge in the 25 shelters now in operation across the parish.

A preliminary assessment of the damage in the parish shows that several houses lost their roofs, some utility poles and lines are down, and a number of roads are blocked or partially blocked.

The Cave Valley to Alexandra main road and Top Road in St. Ann's Bay remain blocked by fallen trees. A utility pole is also down on Top Road, while the Bamboo to St. Ann's Bay main road has been reduced to single-lane traffic at some points because of fallen trees. Police and fire personnel were able to clear some of the blocked roads including the busy St. Ann's Bay to Ocho Rios main road. Several houses along the coast lost their roofs and the roof of the St. Ann infirmary in Priory was said to be badly damaged. Also, on Sunday night, disaster relief personnel had to evacuate all 110 inmates of the infirmary after the sea became very threatening. These inmates are now being housed at the Marcus Garvey Technical High School along with another 150 residents from the area.

More than 100 persons, mostly children, are now in a shelter at the St. Ann's Bay Primary School, while a similar number is being housed at the Steer Town Primary and Junior High school.

Other large shelters in the parish include the Priory Town Primary and Phicketts All-Age with over 80 persons being housed in both locations.

Telecommunication failures

Disaster coordinator for St. Ann, Alvin Clarke, said he was having difficulty in monitoring the activities at the various shelters because of telecommunication failures.

Meanwhile, Mayor of St. Ann's Bay, Delroy Giscombe, is upset over the unpreparedness of a number of designated shelters, across the parish.

He told The Gleaner that some shelters, such as schools, which were badly damaged during Hurricane Ivan in 2004, were not repaired, rendering them almost useless at this time.

The mayor said, however, that disaster relief personnel have been ensuring alternative shelters were available to accommodate those in need of assistance.