With Hurricane Beryl threatening, many Jamaicans in NYC keep tabs on family
FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (PIX11) — Even though it’s 1,500 miles away, many people in the New York metro area are keeping a close eye on the path of Hurricane Beryl, since they have loved ones there who are potentially in danger from the storm.
With Beryl being the only hurricane to reach Category 5 status this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, it’s positioned to strike Jamaica on Wednesday and cause major damage. It’s got many Jamaican Americans in the tri-state being in frequent contact with folks back home.
That’s exactly what the Jamaican government is advising.
“Stay in touch with your family members,” said Alsion Roach Wilson, the consul-general for Jamaica in New York, “and if possible,” she added, “help with supplies, sending funds, so persons can acquire resources.”
That advisory by Roach Wilson, the person responsible for Jamaican affairs for most of the U.S., has a strong influence. Local Jamaican Americans, like Winsome Wilson, are taking it seriously.
Wilson was on the phone on Tuesday, talking with her cousin, Dawn Phillips, who’s in Kingston, Jamaica’s largest city.
“She's got her water all the time,” Wilson said, referring to her cousin, whom she then asked, “You've got food?”
Her cousin responded affirmatively.
“She's got food,” Wilson continued, “so she's ready in case [Beryl] comes.”
Wilson and Phillips, her cousin, both acknowledged that Beryl could leave severe devastation in its path.
However, said Wilson, optimistically, “No storm. We're gonna send it back!” she proclaimed with a laugh.
She had just visited the Jamaican consulate on Wednesday morning. The person in charge of all of its operations said in an interview that among many concerns for diasporans -- people from Jamaica who live here — there’s one in particular she’s trying to help with, as the hurricane moves closer and closer to her island nation.
“Diasporans send their children back to Jamaica to spend the summer holidays,” Roach Wilson said.
Her comment matches the situation that André Haley is in. He was at the consulate at 42nd Street and Second Avenue seeking resources to help his daughter, who’s with family in Jamaica this summer.
“Being a man, and being a father,” he said, “you want to protect them as much as you can.”
“I'm guessing the government will do everything in their power,” he continued, “to make sure people there are safe.”
The consulate shared information for diasporans and tourists’ families alike. It pointed out that Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston would be shut down from 10 p.m. Tuesday until further notice, and that Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay would be closed from 11:59 p.m. Tuesday until further notice.
It also pointed out that consular services on Thursday will be reduced and handled mostly by the Jamaican Embassy in Washington on Thursday because of the Independence Day holiday here in the U.S.