George Grant Sr.’s Last Encounter with His Mother
George Grant Sr. last saw his own mother Wednesday afternoon, just before her island home in Jamaica began buckling to Hurricane Beryl’s wrath. She lives in the mountainous heart of this island, well inland from potential flooding but vulnerable to high winds. At 80, Grant said she could only shrug her shoulders at the threat and close up shop with already a refrigerator full of supplies; that was about it. Grant, an honorary consul for Jamaica in Montreal, said the situation is currently “under control,” but as well-wishers removed their personal data from harm’s way to escape Canadian Caribbean connections.
The Devastating Impact of Hurricane Beryl
At least six are dead following the grisly category 4 storm and much of the damage has occurred in the southeastern Caribbean, where Grant pointed out that a few Jamaican-Montrealers found themselves trapped down south with storms leading to flight delays on behalf of those who wanted to go back up north. “I know there are persons who were not able to get to the airport, and Montrealers in Jamaica had no other choice but to ride out the storm. They are reading social media or internet news and it’s fear,” said the man who has heard from Montrealers for whom Jamaica is a worry for their relatives there.
Concerns and Communication Amid the Storm
Kris Bennett is a Montreal spokesman for the Caribbean Coalition Network and was born in Guyana, but has family members who have been affected by Tropical Storm Beryl in Barbados. Many are worried about this. They are incredibly nervous to hear from the families. “Everybody has been communicating,” Bennett said in a phone interview.
