Effects of Hurricane Charley in Jamaica

The effects of Hurricane Charley in Jamaica included one fatality and at least $4.1 million in damages. Forming out of a tropical wave on August 9, 2004, Charley quickly tracked through the eastern Caribbean and attained tropical storm status on August 10. While passing south of Jamaica on August 11, the storm was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. During its passage of Jamaica, Charley had maximum winds of 75 mph (120 km/h), a low-end Category 1 hurricane. Turning north, the storm impacted western Cuba as a Category 3 storm before making landfall in Florida as a strong Category 4. The storm eventually dissipated on August 15. As Charley approached Jamaica, officials issued tropical storm watches and warnings before issuing a hurricane watch. Two cruise ships were diverted from docking in Jamaica, affecting 5,700 passengers. Numerous shelters were set up across the island; however, relatively few people sought refuge in them.

Although it was only a Category 1 hurricane, Charley caused significant damage in southern Jamaica. Saint Elizabeth Parish sustained the worst damage. About 750 farmers reported damage, and at one point, flooding isolated 30 families. The only fatality in Jamaica occurred after a man attempted to rescue a family but was swept away by flood waters. Following the storm, search and rescue teams were deployed to flooded regions. Days later, officials allocated roughly $7.6 million (JMD; US$86,000) to repair damaged roads. Residents in areas that sustained severe agricultural losses also requested assistance from the government.