British nationals who travelled to Jamaica have expressed concern that no travel warnings were issued by the UK government, travel agents or airlines before Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island.
The slow-moving category 5 hurricane made landfall on Tuesday, killing three people during storm preparations and bringing maximum sustained winds of 180mph. It has caused widespread devastation, with authorities ordering mandatory evacuations.
On Tuesday the UK government advised those on the island to register their presence for updates and said a specialist team was being deployed in the region.
The foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: “Many people will be thinking about family and friends in Jamaica in the face of this very serious storm. We offer the UK’s full support and stand ready to mobilise resources to support British nationals and Jamaica, at its request.”
Among those caught in the hurricane are a couple from north London who have been in lockdown at a Sandals resort in Whitehouse since Sunday night. They said their travel agent and airline British Airways – both of whom have been approached for comment – did not advise against travel before their Friday departure. Before their flight, a Foreign Office official told them there was no restriction in place.
“We would have moved our holiday otherwise,” said Carl Pheasant, who turned 61 today.
“When we were brought to our room, we initially thought we had been given an upgrade, but we didn’t realise it was because of safety, and it seems very secure,” he said. “It could be a lot worse. I feel sorry for the Jamaicans and a lot of people who are in wooden houses. They are in a much worse situation than we are.”
Hurricane Melissa was a tropical storm on Saturday before it was upgraded to a category 4 hurricane by early Sunday, and then to a category 5 by the US National Hurricane Center on Monday. It is expected to pass towards Cuba and the Bahamas by Wednesday.
However, much uncertainty remains for the couple, who are due to fly back to London on 7 November. They said they are more than three hours from Kingston airport, one of two national airports that has been closed until further notice.
“I think a big problem will be the damage afterwards,” said Pheasant. “Leaving here and getting off the island may be the challenge.”
Other Britons the Guardian has spoken to said they were not warned by their travel agents and have since “gone into survival mode”.
Shantal Da-Costa, 37, travelled from London to Jamaica with her two children for her brother’s wedding last Thursday. At least 40 people who travelled for the wedding are now sheltering in surrounding hotels.
During check-in at Heathrow airport, the family were told there was a possibility of a hurricane, but no further update was given upon their arrival, said Da-Costa. At the hotel, guests queried reception staff but were told no updates were available.
“We knew there was always a possibility of a storm, but not to this degree,” she said from a hotel shelter in Montego Bay, which she described as calm – like a “lazy Sunday”.
Her 11-year-old son is “quite anxious and worried”, said the nurse from London, who is also concerned for her great aunt in Clarendon, southern Jamaica, whom they’ve been unable to contact.
Outside “feels different”, she said. The wind is powerful and they have made a family WhatsApp group across the hotels, one of which has experienced some flooding.
“Knowing our whole family is out here brings comfort but leaves a small ball in your throat,” said Da-Costa. “I felt I had to go into survival mode and honestly, [I] feel drained and don’t think I will sleep until I know Melissa has passed.”
Similar anxieties were felt by Sarah Anderson and her family, who travelled to Negril for a multi-birthday celebration. Before their departure from London on Thursday, they had asked their travel agent about the tropical storm but were told that they would not be put on an airplane if there was any danger. There was no mention of it at the airport either, she recalled.
“I’m really upset that we were allowed to fly out and weren’t offered to postpone or change dates,” said Anderson, 49, who is due to return home to south Croydon on 3 November.
By midday on Tuesday, she was sheltering in their hotel room wardrobe as winds rattled the patio doors.
“Of course it’s stressful,” she said. “We’re trying to stay calm, I’m a bit more anxious if I’m honest, because of the situation we’re in, and I feel let down.”
“We’re pretty much in survival mode,” she added. “We’ve got to get through this.”
