A North London couple who were caught in the eye of Hurricane Melissa as it struck Jamaica have described the “apocalyptic” aftermath of the storm.
Carl and Kate Pheasant have been blocked in their Sandals resort in Whitehouse since Sunday night.
The couple had to be moved to a room lower down in the hotel as the roofs were ripped off the building and tiles were broken and blown away during the category five hurricane.
Speaking from their hotel room, Mr Pheasant told the Standard: “The building itself is very robust, our balcony was very protected but the resort is devastated.
“The reception has been destroyed. It’s apocalyptic. There is no other way to describe it.
“We are only now seeing the sheer level of the devastation. This island is going to need as much support as it can get.
“The resort isn’t safe. Before it was the storm, now it’s the damage.”
He continued: “The staff had said they have never had anything like this. How do you [prepare] for the worst storm ever.”
The couple recalled how the hurricane appeared to come to a standstill as the eye of the storm passed right over the hotel.
“We were in the heart of the storm,” Mr Pheasant explained. “We were right in the centre. It went calm and bright and light. That was the eye of the hurricane going over. It was terrifying in that moment.”
The pair were left terrified as the storm swept through the Sandals resort, with huge gusts at one stage blowing directly towards their hotel room.
The roads close to the resort have been blocked by ripped down trees and torn off corrugated sheets, leading the couple to believe it could be days before they can safely leave the area.
Mrs Pheasant added: “There are broken glass windows, shattered in bedrooms. Some windows are blown in.
“I just spoke to the lady who brought us breakfast. It is 20 minutes for her to go and check on her family and it’s completely impossible. She knows there is no house anymore.
“She is not the first person I have spoken to who lives nearby who can not get home to check on their families. It’s not possible.”
On Thursday the Government announced it had chartered flights to help British nationals leave Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
British nationals should use commercial flights as their first port of call to leave the country, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.
The Pheasants are due to fly out of Jamaica on November 7.
The Government also announced it would support Jamaica with £2.5 million in emergency humanitarian funding, as Sir Keir Starmer described scenes from the country as “truly shocking”.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement on Thursday: “The strong links between the UK and Jamaica mean many British nationals were there during the devastation of the hurricane, and we need to ensure they can get safely home, as we know how worrying and difficult the last few days will have been.
“The UK Government is chartering flights to bolster commercial capacity and ensure people who wish to return to the UK can do so as soon as possible.”
Two specialist Rapid Deployment Teams are travelling to Jamaica to facilitate the flights and provide consular assistance.
The £2.5 million funding will go towards delivering emergency supplies such as shelter kits, water filters and blankets, according to the FCDO.
UK experts are also heading to the region to help co-ordinate and deliver aid.
Emergency relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late on Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies.
More than 25,000 people remained crowded into shelters across the western half of Jamaica, with 77% of the island without power.
Melissa also unleashed catastrophic flooding in Haiti, where at least 25 people were reported killed and 18 others missing, mostly in the country’s southern region.
