Montserrat Speaking Frankly

Destiny’s Revelation No. 12

November 3, 2008 on 9:32 pm | In Destiny Revelations | No Comments

I have experienced my first tropical storm watch here on Montserrat. Boy, am I glad there is very limited low lands in this country. But the few low lying areas in Montserrat really took a beating. I guess it ’s not surprising because all the free-flowing water in Montserrat run down hill.

What’s more…it seems that Montserrat deserves a tap on the shoulder for its disaster preparedness. As far as I can tell there were no casualties and no or very minimal damage to the country overall.

The waters were so rough in the Caribbean that several people on Montserrat gathered on Carrs Bay to watch as what looked like a passenger vessel tried to access a safe harbor in Montserrat, which was experiencing a tumultuous coastline. I got some very poor shots of this. Check out the photo slide show below!

You won’t be able to tell from the pictures in the slide show; but the people assembled worried about several close calls where it looked like the vessel will flip over. Apparently, the Captain’s experience save him from a terrible fate.

However, there were more unfortunate sea vessels to be found wounded and grounded in one of Montserrat’s coastline coves. As I hear, one barge ran aground, in addition to the already grounded barge being dismantled for scrap metal. Additionally, another barge was also reported to be adrift off the coast of Montserrat.

Anyway, my kudos to Montserrat’s Port Authority Manager. He made the call just in enough time to save every fishing vessel.

I also noted, today, a level of community spirit that was quite moving. A local hang out in Carrs Bay was completely dismantled by the rough seas resulting from the storm watch.

In less than 24 hours, with a semi-restless coastline, I witnessed a group of Montserratians rebuild the area with very little words being exchanged. New arrivals to the scene just took the initiative to pull up the slack in the exact spot it was needed. I was completely dumbfounded by this scene, especially considering the fact that Montserratians, themselves, say that their unity as a people is weak.

Considering what I have witnessed, when it comes to emergency situations, Montserrat’s unity and cohesive efforts are worth emulating.

PUT SLIDE SHOW HERE