Seven persons lost their lives as a direct result of the hurricanes, 6 in St. Elizabeth and 1
in St. Thomas. The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported that a 35-year-old male drowned
due to flooding caused by Dennis in Georgia, St. Thomas while in St. Elizabeth 5 persons
drowned in a freak accident due to flooding and one was electrocuted by lightening. The
casualties in St. Elizabeth comprised 4 adults aged 20-35 years, one of whom was a
female and two children aged 4 years and 5 months, respectively.

Vulnerability of Women and Children

Lack of rain and grave water problems
• In Clarendon - The severe drought affected the sugar fields in St. Catherine resulting in sparsely populated cane roots and numerous burnt out areas. Some fields were completely burnt out. The Sugar Industry lost a total of 40 000 tons of sugar valued at J$10 800 000 at the end of the 1976/1977 crop.
• St. Thomas-The severe drought in St. Thomas resulted in the loss of cash crops and grans. These crops included corn. vegetables paw-paws and peas.