The UK Government is chartering flights to evacuate British nationals from Jamaica following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa. The category five storm killed at least 34 people across the Caribbean and left widespread destruction in its wake.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said 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.»
The chartered flights will supplement commercial travel options. British nationals and their immediate family members are eligible, including those from the Windrush generation with indefinite leave to remain. Jamaica's main international airport reopened late Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the House of Commons on Wednesday: «The scenes of destruction emerging from Jamaica are truly shocking. Both the Foreign Secretary and I have been in close contact with our Jamaican counterparts in recent days to offer the UK's full support.» The UK has pledged £2.5 million in emergency humanitarian funding and deployed specialist rapid deployment teams to assist with evacuation and consular services.
Widespread destruction
The hurricane, which has since weakened to category two, devastated Jamaica with 185 mile per hour winds. Approximately 77% of the island remains without power and over 25,000 people are in shelters. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the BBC: «One town, Black River, has been totally destroyed. The corridor along which the eye of the hurricane made landfall and proceeded what you could effectively say is a trail of destruction, about 80 to 90% of roofs were destroyed.»
At least five people died in Jamaica, while Haiti reported more than 20 fatalities from flooding. Cuba evacuated over 735,000 people and avoided deaths despite significant infrastructure damage.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
