The UK Government is arranging flights to assist British citizens in departing Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Authorities are organizing aircraft to evacuate British nationals as the death toll from the catastrophic natural disaster continues to climb. Jamaica has reported five confirmed deaths, while Haiti has recorded at least 20 fatalities due to flooding triggered by the category five hurricane.
With wind speeds reaching 185mph, Hurricane Melissa stands as one of the most formidable Atlantic hurricanes on record. The UK has pledged £2.5 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Jamaica. The Prime Minister mentioned that HMS Trent and specialized rapid deployment teams are already positioned in the region to provide support.
In the aftermath of the storm, many individuals are stranded without power and facing infrastructure damage amidst the floods. Although Hurricane Melissa has weakened to a category one storm, it is forecasted to bring additional strong winds and heavy rainfall.
In Jamaica, over 25,000 people sought refuge in shelters after their homes were ravaged by the storm, leaving 77% of the island without electricity. Prime Minister Andrew Holness assured that the government is fully mobilized for recovery efforts, including the preparation of relief supplies to restore normalcy swiftly.
Speaking about the severe devastation in the Black River community, Prime Minister Holness described it as the epicenter of destruction where residents are grappling with the aftermath. The widespread power outages have hindered damage assessments due to a complete communication blackout in various areas, as reported by Richard Thompson, the acting director general of Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.