British nationals who travelled to Jamaica have criticised the UK government, travel agents and airlines for failing to issue travel warnings before Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean island as a category 5 storm. The hurricane made landfall on Tuesday, bringing winds of up to 180mph and causing widespread devastation.
Among those caught in the storm are a couple from north London who have been in lockdown at a Sandals resort in Whitehouse since Sunday night. Carl Pheasant said his travel agent and British Airways did not advise against travel before their Friday departure. 'We would have moved our holiday otherwise,' he said.
Another British traveller, Shantal Da-Costa, who travelled from London with her two children for her brother's wedding, said the family were told of a possible hurricane only at check-in but received no further updates. 'We knew there was always a possibility of a storm, but not to this degree,' she said from a hotel shelter in Montego Bay.
Sarah Anderson, who travelled to Negril for a birthday celebration, said she was 'really upset that we were allowed to fly out and weren't offered to postpone or change dates'. She and her family sheltered in a hotel wardrobe as winds rattled the patio doors.
The UK Foreign Office advised those on the island to register their presence and said a specialist team was being deployed. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper offered the UK's full support. Many Britons face uncertainty about their return flights, as airports remain closed.
