Beryl

You have TODAY to finish getting ready! I live in Florida and was in direct hit of Hurricane Ian. I live next to Ft. Myers Beach. It tore things up so bad here there are still houses that you can see completely through after being tore apart. Houses washed away. Whole houses! I have been through Charley, Wilma and others. Ian was the worst I have ever seen! For at least 5 hours Ian pounded our house. Ripped out roof and water tanks. This storm Beryl will be large and powerful. Make sure you have water stored and canned food to eat. Peanut butter. Check on your neighbors and come together to get through this. ❤️

Beryl is following a track almost identical to Gilbert in 1988. That was 40 years ago, before many Jamaicans of today were born. Back then it had been over 20 years since a major storm hit the island so most people had no concept of what "the Breeze" could do or how to properly prepare.
I sure hope it's different today. STAY AWAY FROM THE BEACH! Gilbert's storm surge washed in over the beach like a tsunami. When it drew back out to sea it took many people with it and they were never found. Zinc roofing became flying swords in the breeze. Folks who left the beach and sheltered in cider block buildings like schools and churches were spared. We were scheduled to fly down that week and had to cancel. It was well over a year before we could make it back and even then much damage was still evident. We heard many horror stories from our friends that week. PLEASE...plan for the worst and hope for the best. Stay safe.

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Originally Posted by ol'yardie

Beryl is following a track almost identical to Gilbert in 1988. That was 40 years ago, before many Jamaicans of today were born. Back then it had been over 20 years since a major storm hit the island so most people had no concept of what "the Breeze" could do or how to properly prepare.
I sure hope it's different today. STAY AWAY FROM THE BEACH! Gilbert's storm surge washed in over the beach like a tsunami. When it drew back out to sea it took many people with it and they were never found. Zinc roofing became flying swords in the breeze. Folks who left the beach and sheltered in cider block buildings like schools and churches were spared. We were scheduled to fly down that week and had to cancel. It was well over a year before we could make it back and even then much damage was still evident. We heard many horror stories from our friends that week. PLEASE...plan for the worst and hope for the best. Stay safe.

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Jamaicans love to spin a yarn. I was ON the beach during Gilbert and there was NO TSUNAMI at all. But it is a heck of a fictional story. No one was dragged out to sea and disappeared. The loss of life happened mainly due to landslides, and people were buried and never found. But NOTHING like what you described happened on the beach. Not even close. The water rose at a relatively slow rate.

On Gilbert's 30th anniversary, I wrote a "blow by blow" account, not fictionalized in any manner. Except for a couple mistakes my sister pointed out about when we arrived back in the States, this is actually what happened during Gilbert. And tomorrow looks to be a repeat of the action, but with hopefully less damage due to the lesser strength. Gilbert arrived as a 4 and left the Negril Beach as a 3 with the eye passing directly over our heads - a truly unbelievable sight. Beryl should hit the island at a 3 in Kingston and depart once again on the Negril beach at a Cat 2.

For the true story of Hurricane Gilbert please read the "Thirty Years Ago on the Beach - A Gilbert Story" at the following link:

https://negril.com/forum/showthread....-Gilbert-Story

Thanks Rob. I was repeating stories told to me in Negril a year after Gilbert. I guess they were all urban myths. But I know for a fact that Sister Love (rasta lady named Adassa who had a store near the bridge then) had dark hair in 1987 and shocking white hair in 1989. So it must have been
quite harrowing.

I have prepared a Hurricane survival kit.

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Originally Posted by ol'yardie

Thanks Rob. I was repeating stories told to me in Negril a year after Gilbert. I guess they were all urban myths. But I know for a fact that Sister Love (rasta lady named Adassa who had a store near the bridge then) had dark hair in 1987 and shocking white hair in 1989. So it must have been
quite harrowing.

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Please read my account. It was beyond "quite harrowing", it was the most scared I have ever been in my life. But no tsunami and no one dragged out to sea. The reality was bad enough. No one needs to embellish it.

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Originally Posted by brownsd54

I have prepared a Hurricane survival kit.

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forgot bug spray

Rob - thanks for that link, it's an amazing story to read. Best wishes to you and the rest of the island as Berl passes through.

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Originally Posted by Blueallah1

Rob - thanks for that link, it's an amazing story to read. Best wishes to you and the rest of the island as Berl passes through.

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Thanks man! I never really wanted to remember that disaster, but on its 30th anniversary there was so much interest here on the island I decided to write what happened to us.

wow. Never knew that. Praying for all of y'all. I told you that dust storm wasn't going to move this storm. Hit me up when you get a chance and let me know you are ok.