Jamaica and Treasure Beach is bracing for Tropical Storm Charley which is scheduled to hit us today. The Keys have been evacuated and I am hearing that most fishermen have been coming in during the night.

The sunrise this morning was pink and beautiful, however, clouds are starting to form and the air is very still. Right now it looks like the threat is going to be a lot of rain versus strong winds.

I will update you as the storm progresses.

Hold on there everyone, we are thinking about you!

...and tracking: http://weather.yahoo.com/img/carib_websattropir_440_mdy_y.html

The air is very still and the sea is more calm now than it was at 6 this morning. The sky is starting to darken up and it is raining in Kingston.

The reports are that it will hit us around midday.

I'll try and keep you posted.

I hear it may be skirting to the south....not sure if that's good or bad if you're on the south coast...

Our thoughts are with you and everyone there

Our prayers are with you.

From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/100363/1/.html:

Charley strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday, and at 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) its eye was located 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Kingston, Jamaica, and moving west-northwest at 30 kilometers (18 miles) per hour, the National Hurricane Center said. It packed winds of 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour.

"On this track, the center will be passing to the south of the south coast of Jamaica this afternoon and evening," said NHC forecaster Richard Pasch.

A hurricane warning, which means such winds are likely within 24 hours, has been issued for the Cayman Islands, while parts of Cuba and Jamaica were under a hurricane watch as Charley headed across the Caribbean.

A hurricane watch means sustained winds of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour associated with a hurricane are possible within 36 hours in a specified coastal region.

Here's the radar as of 4pm Eastern. (Thanks ohliz for the link).


Good luck and hang on down there!

Thanks Eric for that update. That is exactly what I just heard on the news. It is almost erie here. We have been getting a steady, but not hard rain for about an hour now. There are some small gusts of wind, but nothing major yet. Although the streets and beaches were buzzing with activity this morning while everyone was preparing for the storm, now everything is very quiet. I just drove around to take the following pictures and I hardly passed a car or person on the street. Most shops are closed and everyone is inside waiting on Charley.

All the boats have been hauled out of the sea and I am hearing that all fishermen are back safe and sound. A few fishermen have decided to stay on the Keys to wait out the storm.

Calabash Bay beach looks like a parking lot for boats.



Frenchmans Beach has boats from Segree's yard to the creek, all trying to get out of the sea's way.





Billy's Bay boats are all high above the pending waves.



Fishermen spend their time waiting for the storm by playing dominoes at Lennox' bar.



Great Bay is currently quite concerned since a storm last week took away a lot of the sand which is usually there to protect them. As you can see from the following photos, the sea is already quite high. This is true for the whole coastline and it is what has us all a bit worried.





Well, all of us except the pelicans. They seem to be riding out the storm in fine style.



I just got a call that the sea has started to get more rough and the waves are increasing in size. Again, I will try to keep you posted as the storm passes by.

Thanks for keeping us up to date Rebecca.
I am away right now,so this info is great.

It's here!!! It has been raining very hard for the last 2 1/2 hours and the breeze is blowing at a good clip. Although the sea is getting more rough, the height of the sea does not seem to be rising. This is very good and we are all praying this remains the same. Can you believe, I just saw two people surfing at Frenchman's Beach?!?!?!

I heard the eye of the storm is just off of Old Harbour which means we will be seeing it in about 2 - 3 hours. The back part of the storm can often times be worse so we are far from out of danger yet. And, of course, it is night time now.

The electricity is going on and off, but so far we still have it.

That's all for now!

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, Rebecca! It's always nice to hear firsthand information. I'm hoping that the hurricane has subsided, and that all is still well in Treasure Beach. Good luck!

Much love to all,
Amy

We have had no electricity since around 7:30. It is still pouring rain with lots of wind. Now we are experiencing heavy thunder and lightening. I attempted to go down the road about an hour ago in my bus, but had to turn back because of the road being too flooded. The good news is the sea is still not so bad so, so far, the boats are okay.

It seems that things are starting to subside a bit now. The rain has stopped and the breeze is calming down as well.

I will check things out in the morning and let you know how Treasure Beach fared.

Good morning everyone! The sun is shining here, however it is still very overcast and the breeze is still strong.

The good news is the sea stayed relatively calm for a hurricane, so all the boats are okay. There has been some beach erosion, but it is minimal.

The bad news is, the rain pounded down on us for about 5 hours non-stop last night and the flooding is severe. The road to Great Bay is near impassable, with just a few vehicles brave enough to get through. The road just below the police station is absolutely impassable with a large crator in the road. I have pictures and (if batteries hold out) will get them on for you to see a bit later.

I am now going down the road to see the damage there. I am hearing that the road to Billy's Bay is flooded, but passable and the road through Bluntuss is also flooded but passable.

Houses near the creek in Frenchman's were flooded out last night and I am hearing that Big Woods is under water, Crossroads is impassable, as is Flagaman and Mountainside.

It seems St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland were hit the hardest.

We do not have any electricity or water on the main, but surprisingly our phone lines are still working.

I will give you another report after I see more of what is out there.

Word on the street is this is worse than Gilbert and some are saying this is the worst they ever saw here.

We have heard of one death in Big Woods as a result of the flooding, but thankfully, that is it.

The Montego Bay airport is up and running on schedule.

Oh my, Rebecca. I hear Newmarket was under water and people were being evacuated by helicopter from rooftops??

Thanks for taking ht etime to provide the updates!!

Rebecca,

I'm so sorry you got hit so hard. I was trying to get info on -line last night but hadn't heard until just now. Please know we are thinking of you and if you need anything let us know.

Good Luck

A news item on Charley from the Gleaner:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20040812/lead/lead1.html

Now its good luck to those affected in Jamaica and also to Cuba, Florida, and anyone caught at sea in this thing!

On an aside, I hit the Google news site (http://news.google.com/) alot because it seems like a good clearing house of news articles from very different sources ranging from traditional outlets like CNN to the China Daily Press and Al-jazera. I've been seeing articles from the Observer and the Gleaner listed in increasing frequency as well, including the one I quote in this post.

I think its a good sign that people visitng Google have acces to news outlets other than the biggies they may see on TV in their home countries.

Rebecca, Thanks very much for the update. The pictures were detailed, illustrative. I appreciate you taking the time out to demonstrate to us, internet users what is going on at home. I am happy everything has subsided and we seem safe. Thanks again for your time and effort.

Karen

Rebecca, is there any flooding at Big Ground?

This is from www.stormcarib.com this morning (still nothing newer):
- The morning after
From: "Ann Lyons - Culloden Cafe" <lyons>
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 07:31:04 -0500

I have surveyed the damage in the light of day and we were very lucky. The sea is still really roaring and beating us up pretty badly. The storm didn't really hit here until after 9 p.m. and then things really let loose. The wind was very high, although there aren't any trees down. But the RAIN! My gauge is overflowing this a.m. - which is more than 6 inches. And remember it didn't even start raining until nearly dark. The radio is reporting there are a few people homeless from flooding and there is an unconfirmed report of one death. I know if anyone had stepped into the gully near me they would have been swept away in a second. It was truly awesome. All in all it looks like we were lucky. I haven't been out in the world yet but will report local damage later.
Ann Lyons
Culloden Cafe
Whitehouse, Westmoreland

As of 4pm this afternoon, Bluefields Bay/Belmont/Westmoreland 10 min from Culloden Cafe fared better than most:a few tree down, heavy rains, but relatively unscathed.
Minimal to no groundseas so all jetties intact/a first.

Thanks Rebecca for keeping us up to date on everybody we love in Treasure Beach. I talked to Mom (Mrs. Anderson)and they're okay. I pray for those in Billy's Bay where I hear the flooding is bad. I'll see ya soon.


Dee Dee Murray

First I would like to start out with the photo of what I witnessed yesterday afternoon at about 4:30 at Frenchman's beach. The perfect example (although a dangerous one) of making the best of the situation.



This morning I took a drive around accessing the damage to the area. Once again, we are very happy and grateful to say that there was very little damage to the beach and the coastline. All fishing boats were saved and a minimal amount of beach erosion occured.

The amount of rainfall was the cause of the most damage. This was the road just below the Treasure Beach police station this morning.





This was the road to Great Bay.



I am very happy and, I have to admit, surprised to report that both those roads have already been repaired enough that traffic can now pass on them. Kudos to the road works commission for their fast action.

Earlier today the only way you could get out of Treasure Beach was through Bluntuss, and trust me, it was not an easy journey, as the road was flooded in areas and washed out in other areas. I understand that the road to Billy's Bay is still flooded, but passable if you take time.

This is a photo taken just before you reach Trevor and Vimzie Clark's shop heading into Billy's Bay.



I actually saw children swimming in the road in Newcombe Valley today, yes that is right, swimming in the road.

This photo was taken in front of M&D Grocery in Calabash Bay.

With all reports in, the parish of St. Elizabeth was the hardest hit parish in Jamaica. This is typically the complete opposite with other parishes sustaining damage and St. Elizabeth staying unscathed. I guess it was our time.

Districts near to Treasure Beach which sustained a great deal of damage include Big Woods, Little Park, and Flagaman. The damage was all due to flooding.

We received electricity back for about an hour tonight, however, it is gone again. We have been told that we should have electricity back before the end of the night. Again, kudos to the Jamaica Public Service Co. for working so hard to help us get our power back so quickly.

Although things are returning back to normal, we cannot forget about those who suffered greatly as a result of Charley. Many homes in Treasure Beach and south St. Elizabeth were flooded out.

Miss Clem Parchment woke to 2 feet of water in their house last night. They live in Fremchman's where the creek overflowed. She and I took a walk out to the beach today and the following photo shows the damage done by the creek with one bench remaining but the other chair midair.



I understand several people in Billy's Bay also needed to evacuate their home due to massive flooding. The damage to their homes was extensive.

One man lost his life in Big Woods while trying to save others from the flood waters.

The fishermen have lost countless fish pots in the rough seas, of which they will need to replace. The farmers have lost whole fields of their crops to the flood waters.

Please keep all these people in your thoughts and prayers.

At the same time I would like to thank all of you for the thoughts and prayers already offered. We certainly felt them and many of us are so very thankful that it wasn't a lot worse.

Sorry, the following is the photo in front of M&D Grocery which I didn't include above.

Well done Rebecca for keeping us informed.
Many thanks.

I am glad that their wasn't TO MUCH DAMAGE..
Your detailed post has been a relief to me and many other parents of children at Tranquilty Bay.

It seems like everyone knows how to handel the storms.

Blessings to all!

Cathy

Thanks Rebecca for the photos.
I'm arriving next Wednesday and my friend from Great Bay called to tell me about the roads! It's totally different seeing them. Looks like an earthquake hit up by Pedro Plains!! WOW!!
Luckily he was able to get up to the crossroads last night. He told me they dumped a load of fill into the road. That was surprisingly fast.
My prayers are with all those who sufferd losses.
Hoping that's it for storms. I think that's enuff for Jamaica at the moment.

We have electricity! I am hearing that parts of Great Bay are still without, but JPS is still working hard to restore electricity to all homes.

We are hoping to get water back sometime today.

It is a bit overcast, but the winds have subsided, just a balmy sea breeze today, thank God!

thanks for your wonderful service to us far from home , with family back there .G B U

thanks for your wonderful service to us far from home , with family back there .G B U

Much Thanks to Rebecca for the pictures. Now I see what my family is going through.

Rebecca we just wanted to let you know how mich we appreciate your timely reporting and pictures of Hurricane Charley.Hopefully that will be the only major storm of this years hurricane season.Have a great day!Peace

HI TO ALL IN TREASURE BEACH
OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU IN ENGLAND....WE HAVE HAD TORRENTIAL RAIN IN OUR COUNTRY BUT NOTHING ON THIS SCALE...JUST HOPE YOU ARE ALL SAFE AND THE DAMAGE ISN'T TOO BAD.THINKING NOW ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE IN FLORIDA.KEEP SAFE AND BEST WISHES
BARBARA STEPHENSON X

God is good!!!! I am glad to hear that they was not a lot of damage and that everyone is okay there. Keep up the positive attitudes everyone and you all are in my prayers.

thank you rebecca for all of the information. Please continue to update us. good luck to all. send more pictures and let us know what the community needs. jordan & alisa

hi Rebecca!it's jerry Taylor,i am not in the island to see wats going on thier in tresure beach,the pictures are amazing,the roads are totally mash up,the station road looked the wrost of all.Keep on doing a wonderfull job rebecca,an i'll see u soon,
Bye

Thank you so much everyone for your kind words. They are appreciated more than you know. It was actually pretty funny. I was trying to keep the messages short because I didn't know how long my laptop battery would hold out. As I left the last msg. with the photos and was about to shut down, the signal came on saying battery soon dead. It was one hour after that when the electricity came back on.

All of us here thank you for your thoughts and prayers. After seeing the damage done in Florida yesterday, I think we are all even more grateful that it wasn't worse.

The flood waters are subsiding, however, part of the road to Billy's Bay is still flooded out. We can pass if we take our time. All eyes are now on those storms brewing in the Atlantic!

Thanks again everyone and Jerry I will make sure to send your greetings to Nanny!

All the best.

Good morning everyone,

I too, am grateful that there was so much info on the storm here to see. It's so hard to know that friends are in the path of a hurricane and not to know what's going on. Thanks to Rebecca's trusty camera, we not only got updates, but photos'a as well.

As I watched the destruction in Florida this morning on CNN, it put a question in mind. Here in the US, the government and FEMA steps in and helps victims in the event of natural disasters. Is there something like that in Jamaica? Or is everyone on their own if a disater hits?

Tell Danielle to please take a sharp left and hit land before she gets any bigger. I am arriving on Wednesday, so she'd best not give me any trouble!

On a sad note, Charlie hit Western Florida as a Category 4 storm. It was expected to be a Cat.3.

It devastated a mobile home retirement community in Punta Gorda. Last I heard there was not a known death toll, but they expected it to be high.

The storm has now been downgraded to a Tropical Storm as it heads up the East Coast of the U.S.

Condolences to the family of the St. Elizabeth man who gave his life trying to save his neighbors. Thank God for sparing Jamaica the full force of the storm.

Good-bye Charley!

Rebecca, I composed an elaborate message to you describing conditions here in Central Florida right after Charley came through, but then the electricity went off again and it was lost. By now we all know the devastation that Charley caused here. But Pete and I are so grateful to you for being our eyes and ears - a veritable CNN reporter - from Treasure Beach. I may not write often, but TB is embedded in our hearts and we were so relieved that all the fishermen were safe and that there were few casualities. The roads can be fixed, but we don't want anything to happen to our friends down there. Much love to you all from Ann & Pete Wilson

Earl is next folks!
He's just a tropical storm at the moment but as you can see, he looks a lot like Charley.

<img>

Thanks so much for contacting us Ann. We were just assessing damage here, when we all started worrying about you up there. So glad to hear you are okay!

And yes, now we can start to worry over Earl which is predicted to hit Jamaica around Wednesday!

Kate I know how much you love TB and there will be not stoppin you from goin but be safe my friend...Danielle and Earl are on their way and I doubt both will take a left turn. I spoke to a friend in GB and she said two of their family houses were flooded out, but the water is starting to recede. She they were not prepare because the ponds were so low they didn't think there was chance they would overflow, so they were moving mattress and household belongs into a vacant 1/2 build house at 2AM. I hope they will get a break, I pray Earl will show some mercy!

Rebecca is there any chance we could see some more pictures. I would love to see some pictures of Bigwoods. I hear the road is clear from the Mountainside end.

Hey Lynette! You KNOW I'm gonna get there.
I figure if I'm planning on retiring there, I'd best get a feel for it in hard times too.
I spoke to a friend who shares our lane and he says all is well, minimal damage to the lane itself as it was just graded for a funeral not long ago and held up well.
The yard where I'm staying the first 2 weeks fared just fine.

Now as for Danielle and Earl...

Danielle is predicited to take a sharp right and head north into the Atlantic.
Earl seems to be on a more Westerly course and will most likely hit the Yucatan Penninsula, barely brushing the South Coast of Jamaica.
I'm just praying he remains a tropical storm, as he'll most likely pass over the Pedro Keys.

I have less than 48 hours before my flight leaves Boston and I'm hoping there will be no surprises.

Thanks for the good wishes. I will be in good hands.

Here are some more photos of the damage from Charley. The ponds in Great Bay are close to coming together as one. This would be Great Pond, Long, Pond, and Pen's Pond.

This photo was taken behind Sam Dillion's shop.



This photo was taken just up the road from there and the grass and debri stuck in the fence shows the path the flash flood took and how high the water was.



This photo was taken just up from Bone's place and shows the drainage system just wasn't big enough to accommodate the amount of water coming in. Also, notice the back hoe in the background busily trying to smooth the road out and make it temporarily passable.



This is what is left of the road through Bluntuss.



And this is the road going into Billy's Bay which still has about 6 inches of water over it.



Again, we are very grateful Earl did not make a visit to us!

Whew, looks like things are starting to dry out/drain away.

Thanks for all the updates!

Thanks again for the pictures Rebecca.

My cousin Brian, the young man that lost his life in Bigwoods trying to rescue another family is being laid to rest on the 28th of August.

All well -- not even a tree down -- at UNFORGETTABLE, VILLA ARCADIA, LA CASA DUNA and THE BUCCANEER in Billy's Bay and Fort Charles.
The 'wet spot' shown on Billy's Bay road next to the abandoned house foundation ALWAYS gets water
(that's why the house never built) but the road is still quite passable without problems. The back road however from Fort Charles to Black River is still washout city and access to Treasure Beach is via the traditional 'long way
round snake road'...

My deepest sympathies to you, Snuggles, and to the family and friends of Brian. He lost his life while saving others. It is the ultimate price to pay, however, I feel he is being rewarded in the afterlife.

Nuff respect due to Brian and all those who put themselves in harms way to help others during the storm.

Snuggles my deepest sympathies too, may he rest in peace. He will be rewarded for his great courage and love for family and friends.

Snuggles, how sad for your family. Brian sounds like a real hero. Bless him for putting others before him.

Help for 'St Bess' flood victims

By MONIQUE HEPBURN, Staff Reporter



Llewelyn Jones, a 56-year-old farmer of Congo Hole, Southfield, who lost his roof. - Patrick Campbell
Western Bureau: FLOOD VICTIMS IN southern St. Elizabeth are in line to receive assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley that rocked the parish last Wednesday and left millions of dollars worth of losses to crops, roads and dwellings.

The St. Elizabeth Parish Development Committee (PDC) and Tank-Weld Equipment are now leading the effort to help the victims.

Notable among them is Llewelyn Jones, a 56-year-old farmer of Congo Hole, Southfield, who lost his roof and ran from house to house during the heavy rains before being taken in by a neighbour.

Tank-Weld representatives read about his plight in THE STAR and has offered to replace Mr. Jones' roof.

"We saw the report last week and we will be sending a team to Congo Hole to assist him," said John Ralston, managing director of Tank-Weld, in an interview with THE STAR on Monday.

"In times like these, as corporate citizens, we have to reach out to others. The sadness on his face told us that we have to do something to help him."

Meanwhile, Jason Henzell, managing director of Jake's Hotel and Villas and chairman of the St. Elizabeth PDC, told THE STAR the organisation is in the process of securing houses for victims whose dwellings were damaged and are beyond repair.

"We are currently in discussions with Food For the Poor to provide housing for approximately eight families whose houses are beyond repair," Mr. Henzell said.

"Jake's Hotel (in Treasure Beach) has donated a stove and a cylinder of gas to the Bigwoods shelter to assist in providing meals for the families being housed there."

Due to the length of this thread, its been closed to new posting but is still available for viewing.

But before doing so, we would like to give our condolences to the family and loved ones of Brian, who lost his life trying to save others in the flood waters in Bigwoods on August 13. RIP, Brian.

Any new postings regarding Charley and its effects can be posted here.

-TBNet