From the online Gleaner - August 6/2005

IN ALLIGATOR Pond, St. Elizabeth, the blue-green waters are still a muddy brown after the heavy rains associated with Hurricane Emily which lashed the south coast of Jamaica three weeks ago.

Big stones, dredged up by the churning waters, still litter the khaki-sand beaches like strange prizes caught in the sand.

The island experienced two hurricanes in quick-fire succession, and although the hurricanes never came ashore, beaches along the north and south coastlines were eroded to varying degrees.

The island's storm-damaged beaches are crying out for attention.

Peter Espeut, environmentalist and head of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, told Across the Nation that the passage of a hurricane is a big intervention, and that in Clarendon and St. Catherine the erosion is "quite extensive".

"A study conducted prior to Hurricane Ivan and after Ivan, showed that the sand had migrated from the west to the east. It is surprising because we expected the reverse," he said.

Mr. Espeut further added that the double whammy of increasingly violent hurricanes and global warming would affect the quality of the beaches, causing the sea level to rise and further erosion.

"Over the next ten years the sea level will rise by an appreciable amount. Hotels that have beaches will see the sea level rise. They will have less sand for tourists to walk on," he said.

Beaches and dunes can recover from storm damage on their own over a period of years but that could be too late for coastal property owners, especially given the present hyperkinetic nature of hurricane seasons.

"Global warming and hurricanes affect the quality of our beaches and will affect tourism. We want tourism and we want the money ... I don't believe we have started to address the issue," Mr. Espeut said.

Millions of tax dollars may be needed to do 'nourishment projects' which could involve pumping sand from offshore, or trucking it from inland areas onto beaches eroded by storms and other factors including dredging, jetties, seawalls, and development that displaces protective dunes.

In maintaining the quality of the sand, Mr. Espeut suggests that fishermen resist using dynamite which kills the coral and organisms that form sand. Among the areas affected by erosion are Jackson Bay, Rocky Point, Old Harbour Bay, Pigeon Island, Half Moon Cay and Pelican Cay. Areas in St. Elizabeth affected last September include Billy's Bay, Frenchman's Beach, Great Bay and Calabash Bay.

"We just put back a lightpost on the beach that was torn down during Ivan, and the sea is now moving in more towards it. Back in the day, the sand was at least 15 feet from where it is now, and pretty soon, the sea will reach this lightpost that serves the beach," said Wilton Graham, president of the Calabash Bay Fishing Co-operative.

Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, after the passage of Hurricanes Dennis and Emily in July.