MAN I TELL YA, we really gotta keep praying fuh the people in Haiti hear? I mean good Lord man, it looks like evah system dat pass we and gone long ’bout it business does give Haiti a li’l touch up.
Only the other day dat storm, the one duh call Isaac, move pass li’l Barbados and although it wasn’t close enough tuh do any major damage, nor be a major threat tuh the island, Isaac was so wide and laden down wid water dat we get a good dousing.
At one point I was beginning tuh wonder if the rain wasn’t gine stop falling; but it went along on its merry way widout doing as much damage as people were anticipating.
The American weather people was tracking it down because ya know, from the time any system come off the African coast, it gine be heading north.
Sometimes the systems does veer off and head up there by Bermuda and dem other islands but more often than naught, it does be heading straight fuh the islands and later end up in some part o’ the United States.
One time ya used tuh hear dem hitting North and South Carolina on a regular basis but like in recent times duh heading straight cross there by Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba; touching up all o’ dem in dat general area all the time. And all this time the American TV channels does be tracking dem tuh see if they will affect dem in any way.
In recent times I have had tuh say Lord have mercy pon Haiti because dem poor people have been having it so rough since the earthquake a couple years back. I ain’t know but sometimes it look like Haiti got some kinda big magnet dat continue tuh draw these systems tuh dem.
It looks like evatime duh try tuh catch demselves, here comes another one. And as if it ain’t bad enough tuh be squatting and living in dem kind o’ hard conditions, when these systems breeze through, dem poor people doan stan a chance, ’cause these storms doan only cause a lot o’ additional damage but duh does take a good few lives as well.
I really pray dat this present president would be able tuh do more than the others before him; I mean it is a real uphill battle and each time dat a system affects the island, I am sure, it sets dem back and make already poor people, poorer.
It got tuh be a real frustrating and hopeless situation, but dem Haitians is real resilient people fuh the things dat they would have gone through all o’ the years and have managed tuh bounce back.
The other place dat like it getting some damage all the time is up in there by New Orleans in the United States.
Sit it out
You would remember dat dem people had it rough fuh a good few years after, I think it was Katrina.
Whole neighbourhoods got wipe out and long after, people were still living in shelters; dat is why when the last storm dat just gone there threaten dem, a good few o’ dem decided tuh sit it out in duh new houses.
But I say all dat tuh say, dat we in the Caribbean have been so fortunate, we have had some scary moments, some near misses and when we see the devastation these systems dat pass through here eventually cause, boy, all ya could say is, thank God fuh the small mercies hear?
I know duh got some people who got duh minds made up and would tell you dat nutten so ain’t gine evah happen ’bout here but the old people always tell ya, wha’ ain’t catch ya ain’t pass ya and dat is true, true, true.
We cahn take it fah granted dat we suh special, I think all we need tuh do is continue tuh pray fuh mercy, not only fuh weselves but fuh all the other Caribbean too.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
