Disaster strikes thrice - Woman burnt by arsonists and Beryl

They say third time is a charm, but this is quite the opposite for Natalee Bartley, a shopkeeper in Portland Cottage, Clarendon.

Her dwelling was destroyed three times -- twice by arson and once by hurricane -- over a 17-year period. The latest setback was on July 3, when Hurricane Beryl passed close to Jamaica's south coast and unleashed its venom on places like Portland Cottage.

"People burned down my house twice. After one of those incidents, the government rebuilt it for me, and I added to it with a Food For The Poor house. The roof of that one cave in, and the other day mi in it and a try fix it, and the rain start fall and it just pour down on mi, so mi just leave it alone. Mi just set two drums inside the house, and when dem full a rainwater mi use it bathe yaah man,' she said.

In addition to the house provided by Food For The Poor, Bartley and her late husband had rebuilt another dwelling, which was also destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, this rebuilt house crumbled during Hurricane Beryl. Her son was occupying the house at the time, but fortunately, he was not inside when it collapsed.

"I was inside the board one and then a part of it start blow off; then mi hear the other house start blow off, and mi say to my friend say the house a guh now. Mi see the house start dance, and then it go down. When mi see all what a gwan, we just go in the shop and stay there until the storm pass because the top of it slab, so it was the safest place," she said.

As Hurricane Beryl battered her home, Bartley watched in horror as looters braved the strong winds and rains to steal whatever they could.

"If yuh notice the bed and every piece of furniture in there same way because I don't even go around that side. I don't know where to start. Mi can't manage it yaah man. This one was two bedrooms, with hall and ting, but just as the breeze start blow the house just gone. One a thing weh mi witness with mi eye is that people come out with flashlights and start tief some of the things dem. Mi watch people take away mi zincs," a frustrated Bartley said.

The Portland Cottage resident is among many who lost their homes to Hurricane Beryl. Even a month later, signs of the hurricane's impact are still visible throughout the community. While electricity and potable water have been restored in some areas, signs of normality remain scarce. One resident noted that it might take years for the area to fully recover.

"It's hard. It's been almost a month, but the destruction is still evident. Many people don't know how they're going to start over. I don't know when we'll smile again, or when the place will return to how it used to be," she said.