00:00Good evening, Trinidad and Tobago. As we know, because it's all over the news, we have Hurricane Melissa that is now a Category 5 on its way to Jamaica.
00:10So to give more details, I have Mr. Milton Walker from the RJR Gleaner Group here to speak with us.
00:18So what is the atmosphere like at this moment?
00:22Nervous anticipation with one phrase I would use, but there are some persons who are also making light of it.
00:30Our crews witnessed a water party in a community in downtown Kingston called Rima.
00:35They were celebrating outside and they're pretty close to the coast.
00:40And we saw another one, I think, in Spanish Town yesterday.
00:43So there are a few persons who are making light of it, but it is a very, very serious storm and most persons are taking it seriously.
00:54I can imagine. Which areas have already been affected?
00:59Mainly the south and the northeast, trees have fallen and fallen on power lines earlier this afternoon, or about this morning rather.
01:08The government in an update said 51,000 people were without power as a result of the falling power lines and trees falling on power lines and utility poles also falling.
01:22And that's from the early winds that have been, you know, blowing and disturbing the trees and so on and so forth.
01:33Yes. So have any serious incidents been reported thus far?
01:37We have had two persons dying in what we call storm-related incidents.
01:44One man fell off a ladder in Hanover on, I think, Saturday, and another man, a tree fell on him.
01:51They were cutting down the trees and it fell on him on Friday.
01:54He was taken to hospital in St. Elizabeth, transferred to the University Hospital in Kingston, where he later died.
02:01Those two deaths are storm-related.
02:04Other than that, the health minister told us earlier this afternoon that they've had some, you know, a few injuries in terms of persons preparing and had injured themselves and there have been a couple motor vehicle accidents as well.
02:18So how, how have the people been responding to the Prime Minister's mandatory evacuation notices?
02:26Well, initially, persons weren't taking it seriously.
02:29In Port Royal, which is on the peninsula where Kingston's airport is, which is literally right out in the sea, that town, when they sent buses yesterday, one person boarded the bus to take them to the shelters.
02:43The other said they refused.
02:45Today, we heard that some of them, more persons went to the shelter and also we, a few of them said they would be willing to leave around five or six o'clock today.
02:58But the government is saying, you know, we might not be able to send buses for you later, so you need to move now.
03:04But there's been a general reluctance.
03:06That's why the Prime Minister last night issued the compulsory evacuation orders.
03:11So the security forces, the police and the army have been in some communities to enforce the evacuation order.
03:19So are there adequate resources and shelters in place to serve those affected?
03:25Indeed.
03:26There are 800, over 800, I think 881 shelters.
03:30There are, you know, community centers, schools mainly, and sports facilities.
03:35The national arena in Kingston is the largest, and those are the facilities that are housing persons who are being told to go to shelters.
03:47There are others who are sheltering at other locations.
03:49For example, in St.
03:50Elizabeth this morning, our reporter spoke to a man who said he has a zinc roof, and I think he lost his roof last year during hurricane burial, because St.
03:58Elizabeth was hit pretty hard, and he went to a shop which had a concrete roof, because many persons in the south, when they rebuilt last year, instead of putting back a zinc, you know, the traditional roof, they built a concrete roof, which, of course, can withstand any hurricane.
04:14Okay, well, this is very unfortunate, but thank you for joining us, and I wish you so much safety, and we here at Trinidad, we're praying for you, we're praying for all the citizens of Jamaica, and we hope that everything works out well.
04:31Thank you so much for joining us.
04:33No problem.
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