Jamaica

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Some operators have ‘paused or cancelled’ flights and package holidays to this popular destination

The UK Foreign Office has issued a package holiday warning as Brits travelling to a popular destination could see their plans cancelled. In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has provided an update on holidays to Jamacia.

It explained that some operators have “paused or cancelled” flights and package holidays to the Caribbean destination. This update was provided on November 11, two weeks after the storm first hit.

On the FCDO website it explained: “Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a major hurricane in Jamaica on Tuesday 28 October. Hurricane Melissa brought exceptional levels of rainfall and strong winds to the whole of Jamaica, causing widespread damage to roads and infrastructure and disruption to electricity and other utilities services, including internet.

“There are also shortages of food and water and access to currency. Access to healthcare in worst affected areas is limited. All Western parishes have suffered significant damage.

“The worst affected parishes are currently Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, St James, Hanover and Manchester.” As per the latest reports, 45 people were killed by Hurricaine Melissa while another 15 remain missing.

Staying safe

The FCDO continued: “Exercise caution if you are travelling within Jamaica. Continue to follow the guidance of local authorities.

“If your hotel is unable to provide accommodation, get in contact with other hotels in the area to see if they have capacity.” If you need consular assistance, you can contact the FCDO on:

• +1 (876) 936 0700 (Jamaica)
• +44 (0) 20 7008 5000 (UK)

Travel plans

The FCDO stated that all airports have re-opened – however, not all flights are operating. “All the airports have re-opened, with Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay operating a limited number of commercial flights while repairs are made to the terminal. For updates and flight schedules, see @MBjairport for Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and @NMIA for Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston,” it said.

“Flights may not be direct and could transit other countries. Check for messaging from your airline or travel provider as some operators have paused or cancelled flights and package holidays to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.”

Before flying anywhere the FCDO says you should follow its foreign travel checklist:

• Research your destination
• Get insured before you go
• Check your documents for travel
• Consider your health
• Prepare for the unexpected

For full details on this, visit the Government website here.

A chartered flight from the UK government evacuating British nationals from Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa is due to land at London’s Gatwick Airport on Sunday.

The flight, which left Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport, comes after the UK flew aid in earlier in the day as part of a £7.5m regional emergency package.

Some of the funding will be used to match public donations up to £1m to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent – with King Charles and Queen Camilla among those who have donated.

Despite aid arriving in Jamaica in recent days, blocked roads have complicated distribution after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the island, killing at least 19 people.

The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a category five storm and was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the Caribbean.

Melissa swept across the region over a number of days and left behind a trail of destruction and dozens of people dead. In Haiti, at least 30 people were killed, while Cuba also saw flooding and landslides.

Jamaica’s Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said on Friday “there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened”.

Around 8,000 British nationals were thought to have been on the island when the hurricane hit.

The UK foreign office has asked citizens there to register their presence and also advises travellers to contact their airline to check whether commercial options are available.

The UK initially set aside a £2.5m immediate financial support package for the region, with an additional £5m announced by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Friday.

Cooper said the announcement came as “more information is now coming through on the scale of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, with homes damaged, roads blocks and lives lost”.

The British Red Cross said the King and Queen’s donation would help the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) “continue its lifesaving work” – which includes search and rescue efforts in Jamaica as well as ensuring access to healthcare, safe shelter and clean water.

The Red Cross said that 72% of people across Jamaica still do not have electricity and around 6,000 are in emergency shelters.

Until the Jamaican government can get the broken electricity grid back up and running, any generators aid agencies can distribute will be vital.

So too will tarpaulins, given the extent of the housing crisis.

Meanwhile, with so many in need of clean drinking water and basic food, patience is wearing thin and there are more reports of desperate people entering supermarkets to gather and give out whatever food they can find.

The BBC has seen queues for petrol pumps, with people waiting for hours to then be told there is no fuel left when they reach the front of the queue.

Some people are seeking fuel for generators, others for a car to reach an area in which they can contact people, with the power down across most of the island.

The country’s health minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, on Saturday described “significant damage” across a number of hospitals – with the Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth being the most severely affected.

“That facility will have to be for now totally relocated in terms of services,” he said.

“The immediate challenge of the impacted hospitals is to preserve accident and emergency services,” Dr Tufton added. “What we’re seeing is that a lot of people are coming in now to these facilities with trauma-related [injuries] from falls from the roof, to ladders, to nails penetrating their feet”.

The minister said arrangements had been made for the ongoing supply of fuel to the facilities as well as a “daily supply of water”.

Although aid is entering the country, landslides, downed power lines and fallen trees have made certain roads impassable.

However, some of the worst affected areas of Jamaica should finally receive some relief in the coming hours.

At least one aid organisation, Global Empowerment Mission, rolled out this morning from Kingston with a seven-truck convoy to Black River, the badly damaged town of western Jamaica, carrying packs of humanitarian assistance put together by volunteers from the Jamaican diaspora community in Florida.

Help is also coming in from other aid groups and foreign governments via helicopter.

It remains only a small part of what the affected communities need but authorities insist more is coming soon.