The UK Government is arranging flights to assist British citizens in departing Jamaica following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa.
As the death toll rises from the catastrophic natural disaster, officials are organizing aircraft to evacuate British nationals. Jamaica has confirmed five fatalities, with at least 20 deaths in Haiti due to flooding caused by the powerful category five storm.
With wind speeds reaching 185mph, Hurricane Melissa stands as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. The UK has pledged £2.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Jamaica. Keir Starmer expressed shock at the extent of the devastation, while the Prime Minister informed lawmakers that HMS Trent and specialized rapid deployment teams were positioned in the region to provide aid.
Amid the ongoing floods, people are stranded without power and facing damaged infrastructure. Although Hurricane Melissa has been downgraded to a category one storm, it is expected to bring additional strong winds and heavy rainfall.
In Jamaica, over 25,000 individuals sought refuge in shelters after their homes’ roofs were torn off by the storm. Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s education minister, reported that 77% of the island was without electricity.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness assured that the government is fully mobilized for recovery efforts, emphasizing the need for time to restore normalcy. Relief supplies are being readied to expedite the process.
Describing the devastation in the Black River community, Prime Minister Holness highlighted the significant impact of the storm, noting that recovery efforts are underway.
The widespread power outages have hindered damage assessments due to a communication blackout in affected areas, as indicated by Richard Thompson, acting director general of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
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