Majesty Gardens hero ready for action - Keeping an eye on Sandy Gully as storm threatens island

As Tropical Storm Melissa heads towards Jamaica, Majesty Gardens resident Anthony Sutherland is bracing himself to participate in rescue missions if needed.

The Rastafarian, who is hailed as 'hero' and saviour' in the Kingston 11 space, says he will be keeping a close eye on a section of the Sandy Gully that runs through his community for anyone who may get washed away.

"Mi prepare fi the saving thing and the gully thing and from the rain start fall and the gully a come down, mi ever deh out here. Just in case mi hear say somebody a come down in it, mi can help save dem. A just one thing and is that the bridge rail dem shaky, and all it take is a really heavy rain to lick it way and people gone. But mi have all mi tube weh mi carry, so just in case mi see anybody a wash weh, mi can throw it to them fi help save dem," Sutherland said.

Last September, Sutherland rescued a woman who was being washed away by floodwaters from the Sandy Gully. However, he said he is sometimes consumed with sadness as he was not able to rescue 18-year-old Rahjaun Melbourne who was also swept away by the current. Melbourne had jumped into the gully to rescue the woman.

"Everytime mi memba the incident, mi just look pon di gully and say 'Watch deh man, if mi did out here just couple minutes dah yute deh wouldn't drown,'" he said. Like some Jamaicans, Sutherland said he will be waiting on the last minute to stock up on emergency supplies adding that the shops are a stone's throw away. Slow moving Melissa continues to drift westward across the Central Caribbean, with Jamaica remaining under a tropical storm watch.

"Mi nuh prepare fi di storm yet because mi have it fi say a joke, but we can prepare in all a minute or a second because the shop is right there and we can go buy what we want. Right now, mi a plan to go over Jamworld side go tie up the boat dem because yuh know say fishing a we only little source," he said.

Sutherland said he has never seen Monique Nelson, the woman he rescued, since the incident.

"Mi just glad the lady safe and she never come check mi back, but she send message to mi and mi tell her nuh worry about it man and she must just wait until the time is right we have a drink and look at the gully and talk bout it. All a we a black people and ano everything we can do for money," he said.