Grandmother Beryl wouldn’t be so ‘wicked’ to Jamaica, says Queen Ifrica

With Hurricane Beryl ravishing sections of Jamaica, tearing down light poles and sending roofs flying, Queen Ifrica, in making light of the situation, said her late grandmother, also named Beryl, would've 'spared Jamaica'.

"She made me the woman I am today. The couple years weh mi spen wid her inna mi early years before I went to live with my mother in Montego Bay were the best years of my life. She was a stern Christian; my grandmother woulda be the opposite a dis Beryl man - [she] wouldn't wicked suh. She woulda seh 'Nuh kill dem ... spare dem, grant dem mercy' because Jamaicans are really God-fearing people at heart," Queen Ifrica told THE WEEKEND STAR. She commended Jamaicans for "sending up several prayers" and empathised with the countries that were badly affected by the adverse weather conditions.

"Wi can't forget the fact that we're a blessed nation. God love Jamaica and we have a very sacred terrain as well in terms of where we're placed. We are indeed protected and we should be grateful for that, because we take too much things for granted as an island since of late," she said.

The artiste said that in gearing up for Beryl, she ensured that she got water and lamp.

"Just a few things like the old time style because wi cudda get generator but mi prefer lamp, kinda give yuh di island vibe and remind me of [the 1988 Hurricane] Gilbert. Mi deh yah a cook soup pon coal stove fi di kids because di electric stove not working," she said with a laugh. However, the singer noted that electricity went out in her area in Barbican approximately an hour after the heavy downpour started about 11 a.m. Wednesday. The bubbly entertainer revelled in the moment as she took advantage of the tranquility to work on a few musical projects while connecting with her family.

"All di TV dem turn off inna di house, all di gadgets dem down. Mi ears get fi breeze man - although yuh see everybody a pace [and] uneasy bad," she joked. "It do give you a moment, though, to check in on your family and your house fi see if you have no leak, what needs to be fixed outside. I just tek dem moments deh as not being burdensome but supmn weh can help yuh family draw closer."

However, reflecting on what took place during Gilbert, Queen Ifrica said Beryl, also a category five storm, does share some similarities.

"Aside from the heavy, heavy winds everywhere, [Beryl] is more like the aftermath of Gilbert; this is kinda like what happened after the big storm did pass. [But] from some of the stuff that I've seen, it's not showing like it's that devastating on the island," she said. The singer expressed fear that Jamaica would have a deja vu moment, as with Gilbert, the eye of the storm was thought to have passed over Jamaica but regained strength and returned with heavy winds and rainfall which did more damage.

The Lion on the Rise artiste said that, despite the severity of the weather, she encourages all Jamaicans and her colleagues "to be grateful to the Creator, because life is an amazing gift and sometimes some of the darkest moments in our lives is when we should give thanks the most".