The West End can get mashed up when a storm system gets near Jamaica. The high seas can cause all kinds of damage. I was up at Catcha after Ivan helping to clean up - we had to wait until the sea calmed down to get near the place.
The next year both Rita and Wilma caused major damage to the West End. That was the year when they ran out of names for the hurricanes!
A very telling difference between Gilbert and Ivan was that I could get to Catcha as well as Sunshine Plaza the day after Ivan. After Gilbert, it was days before you could even think about trying to make it to the West End. There is no real comparison... Ivan was nasty, but Gilbert destroyed everything.
