By Keril Wright, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson was upstaged by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) helicopter sent to collect him last Friday in his constituency in Westmoreland. It whipped up a powerful wind that ripped the roof off a home and flattened a pit latrine.
But that was not all, the noise made by the powerful chopper forced Mr. Patterson to abandon his address to the audience at the handing-over ceremony for Operation PRIDE lots at the Hermitage/Bethel Town Land Development in Westmoreland. His face twisted in anger, he stormed from the podium.
No more than 20 minutes after he took to the podium, all attention turned skywards toward the powerful sounds of the aircraft which hovered overhead as the pilot sought a place to land. Persons in attendance jumped from their seats and some exited the tent under which the Prime Minister was addressing the audience, craning their necks to get a glimpse of the aircraft.
At first Mr. Patterson seemed only slightly amused and implored the audience, comprised of Operation PRIDE beneficiaries and visiting dignitaries, to settle down but as the aircraft got closer he could not be heard over the din and his amusement quickly turned to anger.
"Tell them to turn it off if they are going to stay," the Prime Minister shouted the order as he stormed from the podium his face twisted with anger.
Chaos reigned for a while as those nearest to him scurried about to restore order and as the aircraft which by now had disrupted the proceedings for a good 15 minutes descended from the sky, the powerful propeller blew the leaves off nearby trees.
It finally touched down at the community's playing field about a mile from the Bethel Town Primary and Junior High School, where the event was being held.
It was subsequently discovered that the helicopter had caused much more than just a stir. Toward the end of the function, a resident of Bethel Town sought out Mr. Patterson to inform him that the aircraft had completely destroyed her pit latrine, lifted the zinc off her roof and damaged ornamental items inside her house. The helicopter had apparently tried to land at a nearby vacant lot and had hovered too long over her dwelling.
The distraught woman, Hillary Thompson, 37, was adamant that she had to lodge a complaint with the Prime Minister personally to ensure that she was compensated. She, however, got only about a minute with him at the end of the function as his aides ushered him into a waiting Pajero.
When The Gleaner visited the woman's house, her property appeared to be in the aftermath of a tropical storm. The majority of her fruit trees, mostly banana plants, were blown down and her sole sanitary convenience, a pit latrine, was destroyed. She subsequently informed The Gleaner of the other damage to her property including her roof, several laundry containers and some figurines.
Yesterday, the Westmoreland Project Manager for the Ministry of Water and Housing Maurice Reynolds said the matter had been reported to the Ministry and was receiving immediate attention. "I can assure you that her property will be repaired in record time," he said.
