Only one person boarded a bus that was brought to evacuate residents from the flood-prone community of Alligator Pond in Manchester this afternoon, Councillor for the division, Omar Robinson, has disclosed.
“I even went as far as in the communities tooting the horns. They are reluctant, they are not going to move based on the results we ascertained,” he said.
He noted that residents are unwilling to evacuate because they believe they have endured many storms in the community.
“When you reason with them they say their main fear is the protection of their dwelling when they leave. I don’t know how they balance this because life over property should be first,” he said.
“They’re sticking close to their houses and if anything comes to threat, that’s when some of them plan to move close inland.”
On Sunday, shelter manager for the facility at New Forest High School in the parish, Windell Anderson, told The Gleaner he has been receiving calls from residents in Alligator Pond inquiring about the amenities.
“Alligator Pond is a district that is reluctant in vacating, but they are querying, so I expect that more will turn up, more than last year,” he said.
The Gleaner also spoke with residents in the community last week who were not very happy about leaving their homes as the country braced for the Category 5 weather system.
However, at least one resident said he was considering it.
Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Sunday ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the island with life-threatening rain and winds.
The order was issued under the Disaster Risk Management Act.
The order covers Port Royal, Kingston, Portland Cottage and Rocky Point, Clarendon, Old Harbour Bay, St Catherine, Taylor Land, Bull Bay, New Haven, and Riverton City in St Andrew.
Since the order, councillor for the Rocky Point Division in Clarendon, Winston Maragh, said some 180 residents from Rocky Point and Portland Cottage have evacuated to storm shelters.
– Sashana Small
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