An influencer is facing backlash over her series of posts complaining about being on vacation in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa batters the region.
The Category 5 storm made landfall Tuesday afternoon in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope with winds whipping at 185 miles per hour in what forecasters are calling an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.” At least seven people have died in the Caribbean so far, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
Hannah Grubbs began posting TikTok videos about her trip Friday, including a since-deleted video of her and a friend walking through the airport as text across the screen read, “Us on our way to Jamaica during a hurricane.”
After landing in Jamaica, Grubbs continued to share more videos referencing the storm, including a post from Sunday where she’s being served drinks by a bartender as she wrote, “pretending there’s not a category 5 hurricane about to hit Jamaica.”
She proceeded to show clips of the weather getting progressively worse, with one clip of her overlooking the balcony of her hotel room with text across the screen reading, “Hurricane Melissa out here messing with my vacation.”
Many people were quick to use the post’s comments section to question why she was continuing to talk about her vacation given the life-threatening risk the storm is posing to locals.
“Pretty freaking TONE DEAF video. People are legitimately about to die,” one comment read, while another agreed, writing, “Yea but at the end of the day you get to take a flight and go back to your home meanwhile these people have to stay and endure the storm and the aftermath of it.”
“People are about to lose everything they own, their loved ones, and their lives, but yes, let us all take a moment of silence for Hannah’s vacation,” a third commenter sarcastically wrote.
Other commenters questioned why Grubbs did not look at any weather reports prior to her vacation to reschedule the trip.
“You literally knew there was a hurricane coming …” one person wrote in the comments. “Why didn’t you just reschedule?” a second commenter wondered. “It’s not like you didn’t know it was coming!”
The Independent has reached out to Grubbs for comment.
As of Tuesday morning, more than 240,000 electric customers are without power. Of the 800 shelters, 382 are occupied so far, holding roughly 6,000 people, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie said Tuesday.
Officials warned residents to take shelter.
“Jamaica, this is not the time to be brave,” McKenzie said. “Don’t bet against Melissa. It is a bet we cannot win.”
