Heavy showers catch J’cans by surprise

Jamaicans were left scrambling after heavy rains pummelled the country for more than two days, prompting many to ask 'what if it was a hurricane?'

Pamela Maynard from Washington Gardens told THE STAR that it wasn't just any ordinary rain.

"A bare lightning come in pon me," she said. "When me go round a back go check, a bout three trees drop down roun deh. God a show we how him powerful. Me haffi draw the things dem from the grille pon the veranda fi dem no wet up. Me all haffi change curtain, because rain blow in through the windows even though dem did lock."

Devonte Manning from Pembroke Hall says he was home with his grandmother and totally underestimated the rain.

Blow hard

"Yesterday (Monday), we see the rain set up from inna the day. We neva expect it to behave like dat," he said. "Di rain start blow hard and mama (his grandmother) did deh pon the veranda and me did affi tell har fi come offa di veranda."

He said that after she came inside, he realised that the rain was blowing in through the windows.

"So me a seh Jah know, the place a wet up. So me lock di window dem and start wipe. So while me a wipe and me a walk round di house a lock the window dem, me see rain a blow through di side door and a flood the living room," he said. "Me haffi a wipe and a ring out the mop and a go fi how much cloth fi patch up unda di door fi di wata nuh come inna di house. If it was a hurricane me woulda flood out. At one point me literally did a worry seh wata woulda come up pon the veranda."

Kemar Setal from Cockburn Gardens admits that the rain was unexpectedly heavy, but blames an uncleaned drain for the flood in his yard.

"Therefore, when it rains the roads are full of water, causing the water to enter my house," he said. "The water reached inside my living room and trees fell. So imagine if it was a hurricane ... just imagine the damages that would've happened to my house and maybe my household."

- R.L.