Tropical Storm Matthew has pounded St. Vincent and the Grenadines, leaving one person dead and several injured.
A teenager in St. Vincent was clearing a blocked drain when a boulder fell on him. The storm also caused flooding and landslide in several communities, forcing more than three hundred persons to evacuate their homes and move in to emergency centres.
Residents in Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Dominica and Barbados were also impacted by the storm. In Martinique, 20,000 homes were left without electricity because of fallen trees.
And there was flooding in Barbados which experienced the tail end of Tropical Storm Matthew on Wednesday. Damage was done to some roofs.
RJR News spoke with Nicole Best, Producer/Presenter with the Caribbean Media Corporation in Barbados, who said most businesses might remain closed on Thursday as damage assessment is carried out.
Threat to Jamaica
The storm is continuing its westward track through the Caribbean and could still pose a direct threat to Jamaica. It is forecast to become a hurricane by Thursday night or Friday.
Jamaica's National Meteorological Service is closely monitoring the tropical storm which formed near the eastern Caribbean on Wednesday. It says fishers on the cays and banks are advised to commence preparations with a view to evacuate, should it become necessary.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Service says it is still too early to project the track of Tropical Storm Matthew.
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has alerted all agencies and Parish Disaster Committees. Emergency managers, responders and volunteers have been placed on standby.
With this storm posing a threat to Jamaica, Members of Parliament have also been placed on stand-by for a meeting which could take place Thursday afternoon to discuss preparations.
JPS
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has activated emergency operations to facilitate the timely response to any damage to its power delivery infrastructure due to Tropical Storm Matthew. In a statement, Winsome Callum, JPS Director of Corporate Communication said an important part of the preparation is its ongoing structural integrity programme.
This programme involves lightning mitigation as well as upgrading equipment and other aspects of the network. Ms Callum says there are adequate material and other resources in place to facilitate repair and replacement of equipment that might be damaged during a hurricane.
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