The dreadful hurricane Gilbert of September 1988

by Latoya Edwards
(Portmore, Jamaica, WI)

Jamaica Independence Article/ Story Contest - Entry #13 - The dreadful hurricane Gilbert of September 1988

Whoooo Whoooo, the sound of the wind. Frightening? Yes, and that was the sound of the dreadful hurricane Gilbert when it hit Jamaica September 12, 1988. I was just 6 years old, and was very excited when I heard that a hurricane was coming to Jamaica, pity did I know the disaster it would bring.

My mother and I lived in one of the rooms of a 2 bedroom old house. Every part of that house was old, the concrete verandah was cracked in umpteen places, the hall had no door, the back entrance had no door, the zincs on the roof had so many holes, so much so that the sun radiates through our room when it was sunny. But we managed to get by and made ourselves comfortable.

The day when the rains began to fall my cousin Kemar and I jumped up and down blissfully, as we await this “nice time”. Kemar who lived with this dad Hugh, was our neighbor and he came to visit my mom that evening.

The rain and the breeze got so hard that Hugh could not go back home, he had to stay put at my mother’s house. That time Kemar and I was on the bed giggling, and making jokes. Not long after, the leaking began. It leaked, and leaked until the room was flooded. Hugh and mommy began to mop out the water, as Lovindeer would say, “wata come inna mi room, mi sweep out some wid d broom”.

Suddenly I felt water wetting me as if I was outside, and to my astonishment, our house top blew off. An my my my, I was so horrified. I began to cry, and Hugh grabbed Kemar and ran out trying to make his way home. Mommy then said to me, “wi haffi go out a Miss Beryl wi cant stay here”. Miss Beryl was my mom’s relative living about 400 metres away, and her house was strong.

By that time, it was very dark, and the only thing I remembered was that my mom throw a huge towel over me and lift me up, and she started walking. The rain was falling very hard and the wooing sounds of the wind were so loud and frightening. But my mommy was able to reach Miss Beryl with God’s help.

Even though I was still sobbing when we reached Miss Beryl’s house, I was happy that we were safe, and as young as I was, I was very thankful….especially for the tea and bread she gave us.

Hurricane Gilbert will always be a bitter sweet memory for me!

-
Join in the celebration! Click Here to submit your #Jamaica60 article for a chance to win! || And Here's what others like you have already submitted.

New! Get My Latest Book👇🏿

You asked, I've answered! You no longer need to save for months or years, to enjoy paradise! JAMAICA On A Budget is your passport to experiencing what I call 'The Real Jamaica' on a budget! I spilled the beans! sharing my top tips on finding cozy accommodations and secret gems, only the way a native could! Click Here to pick it up on my e-store and start saving now!

See The Best Of Jamaica - In Videos!

My channel reaches over 140,000 subscribers worldwide and has leveraged over 11 million views, sharing, what I call 'The Real Jamaica'. Subscribe today and join our family of viewers.

Read More ...