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Hurricane Dean Was Mean
A Family's Firsthand Account of Riding out the Storm in Jamaica
By Jill Weinlein
As planned, we left Beaches Sandy Bay in Negril on Saturday and drove three hours to Beaches Boscobel Beach in Ocho Rios. The resort's staff had relocated all guests to the solid concrete main building. As we toured the resort, staff members were boarding up the fitness center windows and marking "X" on the glass sliding doors with silver duct tape.
We awoke early Sunday morning to plywood boards being hammered into the window frames of the windows and doors of the Venetian restaurant. A letter from management, under our door, stated that Hurricane Dean was imminent and expected to slam into Jamaica at approximately 2 p.m. The U.S. National Hurricane Center described Dean as "extremely dangerous." On television, the Prime Minister of the island informed residents that 1,000 shelters were set up in churches, schools and sports arenas and encouraged residents to leave their homes.
To ensure our health and safety, the resort gave us guidelines to observe:
- Stay calm; the storm must run its course.
- Guests are advised to stay in their rooms or the lobby area, and not go outside until the hurricane is over.
- All bathtubs should be filled, the drapes drawn and bathroom door closed.
- Remove all patio furniture and place inside the room.
- After the hurricane, guests shouldn't roam the resort until the initial evaluations are done.
The weather was overcast as we observed lounge chairs stacked and dropped into the pool. It began drizzling as staff removed fan blades from the ceiling fans in the Bayside Bar, while guests carried bottles of champagne and wine back to their rooms to await the storm.
Management asked most of the resort's staff to remain at the resort from Saturday through Tuesday. They worked round-the-clock shifts to keep guests safe, informed and fed. There was one staff member for every two guests. We were informed that power might be turned off; however, the resort's generators would activate. Candles and matches were brought to our room, just in case.
