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The devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl has residents of the St. Peters Township of Six worried about their future.
The coastal community’s roads, famous Braddy’s Bar and community centre were severely damaged.
One resident, who calls himself “Charlie Bot,” said they were told a sea wall would be built to protect them, but that never happened.
“What will happen to the fishermen here? The exit of this road is where we used to push and collect the boats,” he said.
Another resident complained about the lack of plans to protect them from natural disasters.
“I believe that the efforts currently being made to protect the coastal areas in the north of the island are not enough. While this hurricane did set a record, as some of the elderly in the community themselves said, they have never seen sea conditions like this, and more should have been done before the hurricane reached this point.
“For years, we’ve had all kinds of people from regional or international organizations come visit us to show us the area and the problems. They always seem to go to Six and Fort Half Moon (on St. Lucie) because we’re the poster child for the problems along the coast. I mean, it’s not like (the authorities) didn’t know there was a problem, so the question is, why isn’t anyone doing more to fix it?
“There are small things we can do to provide a level of protection while we look for bigger projects,” she said.
She suggested that short-term measures could be to place boulders or breakwaters as sea barriers.
“If we keep worrying about the long-term plan, then the long-term plan may not be implemented at all because people may have left. The whole plan may be destroyed. Because last week, the day the hurricane hit, we had the biggest waves we’ve ever had,” she said.
Clayton Bowley said the restoration center was important because it was a popular spot for lime spreading. As a mason, he said he was willing to help. He, too, said seawalls were needed.
St Peters MP Colin Jordan insisted members of the Gang of Six were not being ignored.
“We will do everything we can to get this done as quickly as possible, but it will take time. The Prime Minister visited the hospital on Tuesday along with myself, Home Affairs Minister Wilfred Abrahams and Deputy Prime Minister Sandia Bradshaw, so we saw first-hand the damage to the hospital. We know that it will take a lot of work not just on the Six but on the entire West Coast,” he told National Daily.
“I can’t say what the government will do, but I know it’s important to restore the centre. The residents of the six-person community are resilient and have reached out to businesses for help. On our side, we have already held meetings with engineers and will decide how best to protect the area from the waves,” he said.
Jordan said the repair of the damaged roads was a top priority for the Ministry of Transport and Works and that repair work would begin soon.
Another pressing issue was how to get around due to the construction work being done on the nearby Port Ferdinand Bridge. A notice from the contractor, ONE Builders, said the bridge was closed from Friday to Sunday, so traffic was being diverted. However, the problem was that the diversion was too long because it meant having to drive through St. Lucy to get back to St. Peter. To ease the inconvenience for those using public transportation, they set up a free shuttle system to take people to Speightstown.
“It’s tough, especially with gas prices. Imagine trying to get to Speightstown quickly and having to go through St. Lucie? Hopefully this is for everyone’s benefit,” one woman said.
One man said business in the area was suffering because people were unwilling to walk so far, while another said there should be more signs to warn drivers earlier because many people driving into Six Men’s had to turn around and go back.
When contacted, the contractor’s communications specialist Joyanne Hague apologised for the inconvenience. She said the road was supposed to have reopened yesterday, but due to bad weather, work would continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, when the road would become a single lane. “We are trying to work quickly but have to be mindful of the weather. If anyone has any suggestions on what we can do to better relieve them, they are welcome to contact us,” she said.
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