Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer

Port Antonio, Portland:

Fearful that the Rio Grande could overflow its banks, hundreds of residents evacuated the Berrydale and West Berrydale area of the Rio Grande Valley in Portland yesterday as they prepared for Hurricane Ernesto which was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

The residents began the evacuation move late Saturday night leading into yesterday morning, taking with them various emergency supplies including food, blankets, flashlights and water. They left farmlands loaded with agricultural produce including yams, pineapples, bananas, plantains, and peppers.

Wise move

Benny White, chairman of the Portland Parish Council and councillor for the Fellowship division, said the decision by some residents to evacuate the Berrydale area was a wise move. He noted that during the passage of hurricanes Dennis and Emily last year, several homes were ravaged and more than 40 farm families displaced.

But while Berrydale residents have decided to play it safe, residents in the flood-prone community of Swift River refused to evacuate their homes. The residents are insisting that they have no intention of leaving their community as they are not inclined to stay with friends, relatives, or at any disaster shelter.

In 2001, hundreds of homes were washed away during torrential rainfall in that community which left eight persons dead.