Meaning
A hurricane — the great tropical storm that Jamaica braces for each season (June to November). Storms like Gilbert (1988) live in memory as marks of time and testers of survival. People 'batten down', stock up, and check on neighbours; a hurricane reshapes yards, roofs, and lives, and 'storm season' is a real annual reckoning.
Examples
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Batten dung di house, hurricane a come.
Batten down the house, a hurricane is coming.
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Hurricane Gilbert mash up di whole island.
Hurricane Gilbert wrecked the whole island.
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Stock up pon water an tin food fi di storm.
Stock up on water and tinned food for the storm.
Origin
From 'hurricane' (via Spanish from the Taíno 'hurakán', storm-god); the great annual tropical-storm threat. Note the Taíno root.
How it’s used
The tropical storm; season runs June–Nov. A marker of time and survival (e.g. 'Gilbert'). Note the Taíno origin of the word.