A Massachusetts man who grew up in Jamaica is determined to rebuild the home he shared with his late wife on the island after at least half of it was destroyed by Hurricane Beryl.
Croswell "Teddie" Cadogan was 27 years old when he moved out of Negril, Jamaica, to Ipswich his wife, Catherine Cadogan.
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"That was my wife's prized possession," Cadogan said of his childhood home. "And I haven't been there since 2016, because that's the last time we were there."
Catherine died of cancer in 2017. Cadogan couldn't bring himself to go back until June, when he visited family.
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"She's one of the toughest women I've ever seen in my life. She never complained. She lied there and we joked," Cadogan said. "We went up, cleaned up the property and everything. It was very emotional, that's why I didn't want to go there."
The weekend after he returned to Ipswich, the home was at least 50% destroyed by the hurricane.
More on Hurricane Beryl
"It went through like three or four hurricanes before, and nothing happened," Cadogan said. "This one just did its last job, take half of it at least."
Communication with the island is down, so Cadogan still hasn't seen the damage for himself. But he's determined to fix it.
"I don't care what it is. If it's a cardboard box. I have to put something there just for her," Cadogan said.
Cadogan's friend, Bill Sargent, a local author who writes about global warming and housing, is now raising money to help restore the home that meant so much to them.
"I'm sure we're not going to raise as much as he's going to need, but it's just to help show support," Sargent said. "It's a way of showing support for the island – it's a very personal way."
"I don't know what might happen or what will happen, but time will tell, I guess," Cadogan said.
