Wright

A resident of Vineyard Town in St Andrew was fearing the worst for her life and property yesterday, as Gustav lingered over the Caribbean Sea.

Pearl Wright, 66, is worried about having to face a storm because of her phobia of large bodies of water.

It is something that she developed since one of her two sons drowned while on a beach trip more than 10 years ago.

"Mi cah tek the water at all," said Wright.

To make matters worse, there is a gully running behind her house, which overflows when it rains heavily.

Damaged wall

The wall, which usually prevents the water from flowing into the yard, was damaged by Hurricane Ivan four years ago. A part of the structure is now in the gully, which interrupts the flow of water and causes flooding.

When a Gleaner team visited Wright's home yesterday, her other son, Delton Davis, reported that the flood water reaches up to knee height during heavy rain.

He said on several occasions residents have had to stuff old clothes under their doors to prevent the water from entering their houses.

"If the hurricane come, wi have to find somewhere else to go," Davis said.