The Little Ochie Seafood Festival will not be held this weekend after the damage done to the facility following the passage of hurricane Beryl. The popular festival that attracts hundreds of patrons annually was set to take place on Saturday.
Proprietor Evrol Christian said $5 million was already invested to stage the event.
The damage from Hurricane Beryl to the popular seafood restaurant located in Alligator Pond, Manchester has amounted to more than $8 million, Christian disclosed.
The Category 4 storm, which battered Jamaica’s south coast a week ago, destroying homes and businesses, tore through the eatery established in 1989.
Although operations at the restaurant have not ground to a complete halt, it may be weeks before it is fully functional again.
The cancellation of the facility is a huge blow to the small farming community “It’s the center of Alligator Pond. We employ over 23 people. We buy 80 per cent of the catch from the fishermen. There are farmers up the road who rely on us to buy scallion and thyme, but, most of all, we have the customers who depend on us for authentic seafood,” said Christian.
Still, Christian is assuring the community that the seafood joint will bounce back from the gut punch of Beryl.
“Operations will be back. We will be back. It may take a little time with the electricity and all, but we will be back,”
Hurricane Beryl’s eyewall grazed Jamaica’s southern coast as a category 4 storm last Wednesday, causing extensive damage across several parishes. The strong winds and heavy rains severely impacted infrastructure in the southern parishes of Manchester and St. Elizabeth.
The majority of the southern parts of the parish remain without power, cell service, and running water. Schools such as Munro College and Hampton School for Girls suffered extensive damage, along with other tourist spots like Lovers Leap, Jakes Hotel, and Lashings Boutique Hotel.
