MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, Sept 10 (AFP) - Jamaican authorities renewed urgent appeals Friday for people to move away from the coast before Hurricane Ivan hits the Caribbean island.
With heavy rain and winds already buffeting Jamaica, the head of the island emergency management department said only about 300 people were in scores of shelters that had been opened.
Authorities have appealed for 500,000 people to leave coastal areas most at risk from the massive storm that has killed at least 20 people in Grenada, Tobago, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Jamaica has a population of 2.7 million.
Barbara Carby, director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Management (ODPEM), said "we are concerned for their safety" as she made a new appeal for residents to use emergency shelters.
She said many people traditionally waited until the last minute before leaving while some had gone to the homes of family and friends.
East Kingston and the Port Royal districts are said to be most at risk from Ivan.
The government sent buses to help move residents of areas considered most at risk. But many Jamaicans do not fear the hurricane that devastated Grenada and a number of residents were seen on television saying they would not leave their homes.
One older woman, who was not identified, told Jamaican television people had survived hurricane Charley in 1951 and Gilbert in 1988 and they can ride this one out. Another old man said that if he was going to die, he preferred to do so in his own home.
A number of persons said they were not too keen to leave as they did in 1988 as looters preyed on their properties.
Carby has however urged the people to reconsider saying this was the wrong decision. Carby also urged the residents to move out of their homes as soon as possible.
A reported 1,000 shelters, mostly church and school buildings are being used as emergency shelters.
The island started to feel the effects of the storm from as early as Thursday night with rains and wind battering the island and there were reports of tidal surges in St Thomas in the eastern end of the island -- the part that will be first to be affected.
Reports are that "significant storm surges" had resulted in the main road between the communities of White Horses and Morant Bay been taken over by the sea and is impassible and alternate roads have had to be used.