Yesterday was pure excitement as the city of Montego Bay welcomed Jamaica’s Olympic team. Thousands of Montegonians came out to greet the team that has made the country so proud. Usain Bolt was presented with the Keys to the City and the team was honoured by the city.

Almost every year at this time, Jamaica has a conjunctivitis “pink eye” outbreak. This year has been no different with St.James hit hard.  Personally, I think there might be a connection to the weather, with October been so wet, but there have been no studies to determine the reason. I have caught the infection several times over the years and it is not pleasant. Your eyes feel gritty or grainy, the eyes get very red or pink and a yellow/grey discharge causes the eyes to close shut when one wakes in the morning. This occurs over a period of two weeks. It is more contagious than the cold or flu. The best way to protect yourself is to constantly wash your hands, also stock up on some saline eye drops. There have been times where one person with the infection goes to school or work and the entire class or office within a week has the infection. So if you contract the infection, please stay home until you get better.

There were scattered clouds throughout the day, which turned mostly cloudy and rain this afternoon. At home, 11km, ESE of the Sangster International Airport, we picked up 17mm/0.66in of rainfall. The basin is quiet; we might have to watch the Caribbean Sea for a named storm next week.

Rains, Rain go away

This afternoon, a strong thunderstorm moved across the Montego Bay area. The thunderstorm produced heavy rain and lightning sending commuters scurrying for cover. As the storm moved closer to the house I heard a loud boom and the power went, this was after 4p.m.One hour later I called the light company, and I was told a crew was already out to repair the problem. They did a good job as the power was restored by 6pm. Yesterday, I assembled and sited my new rain gauge, the new one is digital and wireless, and so I no longer have to go out in dangerous conditions. At point this afternoon, we were getting 2mm of rain per minute; the rain has since tapered off.

 Todayʼs accumulation is 0.92inches/23mm. Yesterday we experienced some light showers total accumulation 0.02in/1mm. Since I returned to the island on Monday, It has been very stick and humid, it has also rained every rained everyday in the same time period between 1-4pm.This type of activity is normal for October. It is our rainiest month. The culprit this week has been a persistent surface trough with an embedded surface low near Honduras. This has been producing showers and thunderstorms over the entire northwestern Caribbean. Areas in Eastern Cuba have experienced daily amounts 0f 75-80mm of rain, not that much here, but the humidity and the monsoon like showers have been creating misery.

A very interesting new story,posted in the UK's  Guardian newspaper.

October gets off to a stormy start; Hurricane forecaster predicts 3 named storms for October

Yesterday, Montego Bay experienced heavy rainfall. The rain began at 12:35pm and lasted for two hours. Only some minor street flooding reported. October is traditionally Jamaica’s wettest month. Below is what a normal October looks like in Montego Bay, based on the Monthly Average of Climatological Data for the Montego Bay Sangster International airport.                               

October               max temp 30.4deg c       Min temp 23.1 deg c       Rainfall 166mm                 Number of rainy days 13                Relative Humidity 7am 86%   1pm 75%                    Sunshine 7.5hours

The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (http://www.cimh.edu.bb/curprecip.htm )is predicting wetter than usual conditions for the Caribbean region over the next two months.

Below is their discussion,

“Sep-Oct-Nov 2008

El Niño Southern Oscillation is currently in a neutral state; however the upper atmosphere still indicates a La Niña signal: hence convective systems traversing the Atlantic basin and into the Caribbean Sea region will meet favourable upper air conditions.

The Northern Caribbean area is forecasted to receive above normal rainfall for this period.

The Belize area is expected experience wet to normal conditions.

In the Southern Caribbean the precipitation totals over the forecasted period are expected to be well above normal.

The Eastern Caribbean area is forecasted to experience above normal rainfall for the next three months. 

Temperature: Throughout the Caribbean, air temperature is expected to warmer than usual. This is especially for the North-western Caribbean region (Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas and Belize)’’.

So far they have been accurate as this September was much wetter than average.

Hurricane forecaster predicts three named storms in October

By Ken Kaye

October 2, 2008  (source Sun Sentinel)

We're not in the clear yet, storm prognosticator William Gray says.

Gray and his research associate Phil Klotzbach call for an active month of October with three named storms, including two hurricanes, they said in a report Wednesday.

The reason the Colorado State University forecasters expect this month to be busy: warm sea surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic combined with low sea level pressures.

So far, 12 named storms including six hurricanes, three intense, have developed.

http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=139&Key=1483&elemId=6

The UN World Food Program site

http://www.padf.org/

http://www.panamericanrelief.org/

Pan American Development Foundation and its affiliate, Pan American Relief Organization.  PADF is an affiliate of the Organization of American States (OAS); they have been sending relief supplies to Haiti, as well as Cuba.

http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_8119,00.html

American Red Cross article and link for donations

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam_in_action/emergencies/

Oxfam Emergencies site

http://www.wunderground.com/education/haiti.asp

Weather Underground site

Sending greetings for a safe weekend.

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Significant sections of the island were severely impacted by Tropical Storm Gustav between Thursday and Friday of last week. While Gustav was not at hurricane strength during its passage across Jamaica, its effect was pronounced because it moved so slowly across the island with extended periods of heavy rainfall resulting in widespread flooding. Total rainfall recorded over the period August 27 -30 ranged between 12 inches in Mandeville and St. Elizabeth to over 19 inches in sections of the Corporate Area. Although wind speed was less than was experienced from Hurricanes Dean and Ivan, significant wind-related damage was done to buildings and crops, especially bananas, in eastern parishes where Gustav made its initial impact. A total of 12 persons are confirmed to have died in circumstances directly related to the effects of Tropical Storm Gustav. Reports, however, suggest that this number could be even higher.

 Our hearts go out to the families of those persons who died in these circumstances. I have instructed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to make contact with each of these families and to be prepared to provide assistance with funeral expenses where this is necessary.

It is estimated that between 3,500 and 4,000 persons were temporarily displaced during the passage of the storm. Some 2,000 of those were housed in 100 shelters across the island. Currently, only 10 shelters remain open accommodating 248 persons whose houses were destroyed or extensively damaged.

It is too early to provide precise estimates of the value of the damage to roads, infrastructure, buildings, utility services, crops and livestock. Preliminary data suggest that over 200 houses were totally destroyed or damaged, extensive damage done to roads, drainage structures and river courses, as well as damage to agriculture especially banana cultivations.

Of 368 roads that were blocked, 298 have so far been cleared in some cases allowing single lane access. Work continues to restore access on the remaining 70 roads but some will need extensive repairs to render them navigable.

The collapse of the Harbour View Bridge has been given priority because of its arterial importance. A temporary Bailey Bridge for moderate weight vehicles as well as pedestrians has been erected and a fording across the Hope River is to be built to accommodate heavy duty vehicles pending the construction of a new permanent structure. The bridge at Georgia in St. Mary also collapsed. The span of this bridge is too long to allow for the installation of a Bailey Bridge and therefore the alternate route through Belfield will have to be used until a new bridge can be constructed.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has already commenced the necessary field work to identify those families whose houses were destroyed or extensively damaged. Those are located primarily in Portland, St. Thomas and the eastern sections of St. Andrew. The government will provide assistance to these persons in rebuilding or repairing their houses. In instances where the original site is considered dangerous or unsafe, efforts will be made to provide suitable lands on which these families can be relocated. This is particularly so in the case of those families whose houses were washed away by raging rivers.

The case of persons who have built houses along the banks of the Hope River demands particular attention. A number of houses along these river banks in Tavern and Kintyre collapsed into the river resulting in the death of 4 persons. Several other houses remain precariously perched on the edge of the river with sections of some houses suspended in mid-air with a sheer drop of more than 100 feet above the river. No building should ever have been allowed to be erected at such a location.

I have established a Task Force under the direction of the Minister of Transport and Works and including representatives of the NWA, Ministry of Water & Housing, KSAC, Water Resources Authority, National Land Agency and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to undertake the following:

(1) Define a "no-build" boundary beyond which no construction of any building is to be allowed.

(2) Institute measures to monitor the area to prevent any further building activity

(3) Identify those persons currently occupying lands beyond the "no-build" line

(4) Identify alternative lands for the relocation of these persons starting with those whose buildings are in the greatest danger.

(5) Provide assistance toward and enforce the relocation of these persons.

Schools that were being used as shelters have been vacated and this will facilitate the reopening of school which has had to be rescheduled as a result of the Storm. Ten schools have suffered significant roof damage and emergency work will be carried out to effect repairs as quickly as possible. Six schools may be forced to delay reopening because of significant damage to or blockage of the roads leading to these schools.

Even where schools suffered no serious damage, considerable clean-up work has had to be done because of flooding and the pile up of debris. I wish to commend the Principals and Teachers for the gigantic efforts they have been making to have the schools ready for reopening.

Thirteen communities in St. Thomas, Portland, St. Andrew and St. Catherine remain marooned because of landslides and breakaways. Work continues to restore access. Where roads are blocked by landslides, these are being cleared. In instances where road sections have collapsed rendering the road impassable, corrective works will inevitably take more time but will be implemented as a matter of urgency. In the meanwhile, ODPEM has been airlifting food supplies to affected communities.

The damage to the banana industry is particularly distressing given the fact that the industry was just recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Dean and shipment of export fruit had started only two weeks ago.

Approximately 25,000 or 4% of the total number of JPSCo. Customers are still without electricity. The delay in completing the restoration is due more to the lack of access to where the fault is located because of damage to roads than to the severity of the fault. Work continues in collaboration with the National Works Agency and communities without electricity will be gradually restored leading to full restoration by the end of the week.

A number of water supply systems were disrupted or damaged by dislocation of pipelines, blocked intakes, turbidity. National Water Commission crews are working at full strength to carry out the necessary repairs. A number of systems remain non-functional until electricity is restored to the particular area or until work crews are able to gain access to the installations. Approximately 85% of water supply systems are currently in operation. The parish situation report is as follows:

CLARENDON
Of the 43 water supply facilities, 4 systems are still affected.

ST. CATHERINE
Of the 79 systems, 30 systems are still affected in some way (including several facilities connected to the Rio Cobre Pipeline).

ST. MARY
Of the 34 facilities, 8 are still affected (including the Agualta Vale / Nutsfield Relift that has been vandalised and the cables stolen).

PORTLAND
Of the 29 facilities, 4 are still affected.

ST. THOMAS
Of the 40 facilities, 16 facilities are still out of operation.

KINGSTON AND ST. ANDREW
Of the 105 water supply facilities, 31 systems are still affected (mainly in rural St. Andrew)

MANCHESTER
Of the 14 water supply facilities, 2 systems are still affected.

ST. ELIZABETH
Of the 20 water supply facilities, 2 systems are still affected.

ST. ANN
Of the 55 water supply systems, 4 systems are still affected.

TRELAWNY
Of the 22 water supply facilities, 6 systems are still affected.

ST. JAMES
Of the 49 water supply facilities, 15 systems are still affected.

HANOVER
Of the 19 water supply facilities, 3 systems are still affected.

WESTMORELAND
Of the 20 water supply facilities, 2 systems are still affected.

Estimates of the cost to repair the damage to roads, infrastructure, public buildings especially schools and health facilities, water and sewage systems and to provide assistance to persons whose houses have been damaged or destroyed should be completed within a week. The cost is expected to be significant and will pose challenges for the budgetary framework. These are challenges that must be met and appropriate adjustments will have to be made to meet these unforeseen obligations while preserving the integrity and credibility of the government's fiscal programme.

In times like this, we have always been able to count on the goodwill of friends both here and abroad. The Spanish Government through the Spanish Agency for International Development Corporation has arranged for a shipment of 7 tons of relief supplies from its Logistic Humanitarian Centre in Panama. Despite the fact that she is off the island, the US Ambassador has contacted me indicating the anxiety of her government to assist.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and the PIOJ will coordinate the approaches that might be made and discussions that might be held with our bilateral and multilateral partners.

This morning, we launched a Disaster Recovery Fund with a contribution of $20 Million from Supreme Ventures Ltd. An appeal is being made to other private sector companies to support the effort. Jamaica National Building Society through its remittance arm JN Money Services and Grace Kennedy Remittance Services through Western Union have agreed to provide facilities to enable Jamaicans in the Diaspora to contribute to the Fund. It is proposed to dedicate the Fund to assist in the rebuilding of houses for persons whose houses were destroyed or extensively damaged.

The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service is in discussions with the relevant Ministries and Agencies to ensure the timely provision of funds to meet the cost of the emergency works and relief measures that are being carried out. Further provisions await the submission and certification of detailed estimates.

As Members of Parliament are expected to be proactive especially in situations like this, I have instructed that each Member of Parliament should be permitted to utilize $2M of their CDF balances for relief/repair related expenditure. It is to be understood that this is not an additional provision but an advance from the undisbursed balances on each constituency's account. This, of course, would be separate from the provision of $2M allowed for emergency/distress expenditure.

The Leader of the Opposition has called for certain areas to be declared disaster areas. Such a declaration can only be made where the Office of Disaster Preparedness reports to the Minister that conditions exist endangering public safety for the remedy of which no powers exist under any other law or that powers are required which extend beyond even those provided by the Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management Act. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has conveyed no such report to me.

Despite the damage that has been sustained, it must be noted that mitigation measures carried out earlier this year by the National Works Agency and the various Local Authorities resulted in less damage being experienced than has been the case in the past. Given the large volume of rain dumped on the island by Gustav, it is rewarding to observe that many communities that would normally have been ravaged by flood waters were able to withstand the onslaught with relatively minor dislocation. It is a lesson in the value of pre-emptive action that must not be ignored.

We must be mindful of the fact that we are only half way through the hurricane season. There may well be more hurricanes to come. We must therefore remain alert and prepared. Where drains have been blocked and river courses silted as a result of Gustav, we must move swiftly to have these cleared in preparation for the next one and this will be part of the initiatives to be pursued in parallel with the restoration work that is now required.

I wish to pay tribute to the emergency services - the ODPEM and its network of relief coordinators, the Meteorological Services, the Local Authorities, the NWA, our workers in the health services, the security forces, fire services, the utility services, the Cadet corps, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and all the relevant agencies for their effort in managing this disaster. I also want to express gratitude to the voluntary organizations - Red Cross, Salvation Army, Food for the Poor - for again rising to the occasion and coming to the assistance of so many people during this crisis. Finally, to the thousands of Jamaicans who lent a hand, reached out to their neighbours, who demonstrated that when they are in distress, we are our brothers' keepers, I express the gratitude of the government and people of Jamaica.

Jamaica is no stranger to disasters of this kind. We have taken our blows before, we picked ourselves up and we kept on going. We have done it before. We will do it again.

It's an overcast Sunday afternoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We are closely watching major  Hurricane Gustav roaring towards Central Louisiana. Our prayers and well wishes  go out to the people of Louisiana , also the many Jamaicans studying and working in the tourism industry in the area. There are some local television stations online ,streaming live continuous coverage the links are

WWL tv New Orleans

http://www.wwltv.com/video/?nvid=57429&live=yes

WDSU New Orleans

http://www.wdsu.com/video/17347538/index.html

Below the pictures I tookfrom my neighbour after Gustav

It is a beautiful Saturday, morning in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The city is back at normal, many persons are headed off to work. The power, internet, cable television, water etc… is back, so I am back in my comfort zone. The chairman of Air Jamaica announcing all flight to and from Jamaica will be on schedule. She said, persons with flights today, will have priority and those persons should proceed to the airport as normal. To prevent a backlog of flights, they are trying to get as much flights through both International Airports as possible. If you have plans to visit Jamaica, It okay to come. The beach from my roof looks absolutely wonderful.

In Montego Bay, and the resort areas ,we experienced tropical storm conditions and some intense rainfall. Luckily, no damage to speak of only some large twigs and branches blown off. According to news reports Eastern and Central Jamaica did not fare as well.

Preliminary figures update from various newspapers, radio and television stations

There are 2000 persons in 100 emergency shelters. At least four communities are completely cut off by flood waters with airlifts planned for those areas. At least 150 houses destroyed, 130 roads blocked and 4000 persons displaced. Sadly, 11 persons have been killed by Hurricane Gustav in Jamaica, and there are still many persons not accounted for. Many of the people who died were washed away by flooded waters, or when landslides covered their houses.

I took some pictures, but I am having some problems uploading them. I will upload them when I can until then you can view go Jamaica's Gustav's galleries at http://go-jamaica.com/weather/gallery/