Many Jamaicans take storm threat lightly
By Jamaica Observer
Thu, 28 Aug 2008, 11:51
Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20080827T230000-0500_139590_OBS_MANY_JAMAICANS_TAKE_STORM_THREAT_LIGHTLY.asp
Local supermarkets rushed to restock their shelves yesterday in hopes that more Jamaicans would begin to take the threat of Tropical Storm Gustav seriously.
Gustav weakened to a tropical storm over Haiti between Tuesday night and yesterday, but was forecast to become a hurricane as it moved over the warm Caribbean waters between Jamaica and Cuba early this morning.
But yesterday, even as Jamaica's Meteorological Service and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management issued warnings for citizens to take precautions, there were many persons who believed that the approach of the storm was a myth.
"The hurricane not coming, so I am not doing anything differently," said Genevieve Campbell, as she did her usual shopping at MegaMart on Waterloo Road in St Andrew.
Like Campbell, Althea Smith - who was seen packing bags of groceries inside her car at MegaMart - made it clear that she was not shopping in anticipation of a hurricane, but was only picking up her monthly supplies.
"I don't normally prepare for these things, because sometimes you rush out and buy all these things and then nothing happens" she said.
"I am sure it will never get that disastrous in Jamaica where we have to stock up on so many things," she added, noting that she already had some emergency supplies at her home.
One male shopper said he was only out shopping for alcoholic beverages and other items because his friend had passed away in the morning.
"I am not preparing for any hurricane because this one not going to affect us," he told the Observer.
Turn after turn through the Corporate Area, the attitude was the same: Gustav would pass by Jamaica with very little effect.
But while some consumers doubted the storm, there was evidence that others had indeed taken the
threat seriously.
Seprod employee Nicolette Calloo was busy restocking the shelves with several boxes of tin products when the Observer visited the store. She said they had to restock outside of their regular schedule as almost all the tin products were sold out.
Store manager Rosalym Holmes said candles were sold out while the store was running low on other emergency supplies. She said there was a rush on the store on Tuesday, but the traffic had subsided somewhat yesterday.
"...Things are a bit slow today and so we are restocking the shelves because some persons might be coming in later," she told the Observer.
Over at Lee's Food Fair in the Boulevard Shopping Centre, the story was almost the same. The store was bursting at the seams with shoppers, stocking up on candles and non-perishable goods on Tuesday. But yesterday, only few customers milled about inside the store.
"We were suppose to close at 8 o'clock last night (Tuesday) and all nine o'clock we no gone home yet because of the amount of people in the store," said one worker.
Pauline Smith, who was at the Boulevard Shopping Centre, said there was no need to prepare for Gustav.
"I know when we really going to get hit from a hurricane and this one not going to bother us so me not spending money that I don't have," she said, adding that she only bought candles.
"I guess the light can go out hurricane or no hurricane so I just buy a few candles so the children won't have to sleep in the dark," she said.
At petrol stations, there were no long lines. Pump attendants said several motorists stocked up on ample supplies from the day before. Also, several hardware stores said they did not see an increase in sales yesterday.