Premature hurricane warning pressuring poor people pocket - Ninja Man

When Hurricane Gilbert tore through Jamaica in 1988, Ninja Man was a rising star on the dancehall scene.

Though he was not yet enjoying superstardom, he was able to adequately prepare himself for the storm's onslaught. With his career now in the realm of the iconic, Ninja Man compared his preparation for devastating Hurricane Gilbert to the evasive Hurricane Matthew.

The dancehall artiste was photographed shopping in MegaMart, but this time around he wasn't shopping for himself.

"Is a bigger and more expensive preparation than Gilbert," he said, revealing that he was actually helping out family and friends with gathering hurricane supplies.

"My house was already stocked," he told THE STAR.

"Ah people mi ah shop fah inna MegaMart."

According to the artiste, during the passage of Hurricane Gilbert, he didn't have as many people to take care of as he does now.

Ninja Man said that he even though he was well-prepared for Matthew, as soon as he heard of the storm's approach, he became concerned for those who could not have readily prepared.

Jamaica was issued a hurricane warning on Friday as the dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Matthew appeared set to ravage the country. That threat fizzled on Monday as the path of the tempest shifted east towards Haiti. Tropical storm conditions which were predicted for eastern parishes did not materalise.

Ninja Man said that the Matthew warning that was issued was as premature as the ones issued for Tropical Storm Earle in August. That storm, like Matthew, never made it to Jamaica.

"You go and you shop and you get all these things, then you stop and don't see any raindrops," he complained.

"It's really a pressure on poor people's pocket."

"What me want them fi really do, mi ask the people dem weh deal with the weather to make sure they know for sure we gonna be hit. Because yuh money going to go to nothing but waste," he said.

"Not everybody can go ah MegaMart and PriceSmart. Somebody haffi take out dem $20,000 and working under minimum wage at $6,500 a week, and go wholesale, and still haffi sen' dem five pickney guh school," he continued.

"Mi nah guh seh dem don't have adequate service in preparing the nation. But mi ah seh get more informed confirmation and make sure it's gonna be a hit. This is costing people a lot of money. Mi buy products that if they don't use in a certain time, them a guh spoil. You haffi throw it weh or gi it weh," Ninja Man said.