Shell-shocked residents of Caribbean Terrace in St. Andrew have an uphill task ahead of them to rebuild after Hurricane Dean.

That is if they decide to rebuild.

It is the end of the line for some who have given up fighting the mighty force of the sea.

Grains of rice, the remnants of a once fully stocked kitchen, mixed with sand on the stairwell of what used to be a lovely family home in Caribbean Terrace.

The rice flung there when two story waves rose in fury during Hurricane Dean and pummelled the house.

The Kitchen itself...completely gone.

A battered dishwasher lay on its side atop a three foot mound of sand in what used to be the living room.

Musical history in the form of irreplaceable LP's lay in shards in a dirty pile of debris.

The owner of this house is overwrought and cannot consent to an interview.

But his intent is clear...he is done with Caribbean Terrace.

It was bad after Ivan, but there is no coming back from Dean.

For the first time in the 45-year-old history of the scheme and repeated swipes from the angry sea, Dean's storm surge reached some of the homes closest to the main road.

Residents, who had never thought it possible, have now been shocked into reconsidering their investment in the normally idyllic seaside community.

It seemed like an intrusion into a private world of grief as the news team tried in vain to get interviews with residents.

But an ironically upbeat Celia Gregory consented.

She and her elderly mother had gathered up their belongings, important documents and even appliances and moved out on Saturday.

She expected some damage, but nothing like what greeted her on her return.

"Because of the strength of the wind it brought in all the debris from the sea. It knocked out half of my kitchen door and it is one of the heavy mahogany doors and it knocked out half and all the debris and water just flooded the entire house so right now we are under total mud. I have swept out most of it but the place is just filthy and stink," she said.

Her entire family has spent the past few days cleaning up debris from inside and outside the house, trying to restore some semblance of order to the property.

Just like other home owners in the scheme who were seen digging through the layers of dirty sand and piling once precious items onto the growing rubbish heaps on the roadside.

The sentiment among them was mixed, ranging from anguish at the loss of property to questions about government's Post Ivan plans to build a sea wall to obvious resentment of the dozens of spectators milling through the community with prying eyes and cameras.

But Celia, still somehow smiling, gave thanks for life.

"In spite of it all I maintain that we have life and whilst there is life there is hope. With that level of resilience we keep on fighting and we kep trying to see of we can get back on our feet and we know in time we will get over all this," Celia said.

"For my mother's sake, this is her home really, I know she has all the sentiments attached but I know wisdom has to prevail over love of property right now and it is on that basis we are definitely going to relocate her. It is very sad I love this area you know but if the sea wants its space we're just going to have allow it to have its space,"

"That's it for us," Celia said.