British tourists have voiced fury and disbelief after being caught in Hurricane Melissa's destructive path without any warning from the Foreign Office, despite officials being aware of the imminent danger for days.
Holidaymakers on the idyllic island of St Vincent described sheltering in bathtubs as 140mph winds tore roofs from buildings and unleashed catastrophic flooding across the Caribbean paradise.
'We had absolutely no warning'
Emma Robertson, a primary school teacher from Kent, recounted the terrifying experience: "We were woken by staff banging on doors at 4am telling us to take shelter. The Foreign Office knew this was coming - we check their advice religiously. Why weren't we alerted?"
Her sentiment was echoed by dozens of other British tourists who found themselves scrambling for safety as the category four storm made landfall.
Communication breakdown raises serious questions
The Met Office had been tracking Melissa's development since last weekend, with the storm being flagged as potentially catastrophic days before it reached the Caribbean. Yet the critical information failed to reach those most at risk.
Mark Thompson, travelling with his wife and two young children from Manchester, expressed his outrage: "We're registered with the Foreign Office for exactly this reason. To get zero communication when a killer hurricane is heading straight for you is unforgivable."
Foreign Office response under scrutiny
When questioned about the apparent communications failure, a Foreign Office spokesperson stated they "urgently advise all British nationals abroad to monitor local weather reports and follow advice from local authorities."
This response has done little to calm angry tourists and concerned families back in the UK, who argue that the warning system fundamentally failed when it was needed most.
The aftermath and ongoing risks
With communications severely disrupted across affected islands, many British nationals remain unable to contact worried relatives back home. Local infrastructure has been devastated, leaving tourists stranded without basic necessities.
The incident raises serious questions about:
- The effectiveness of the Foreign Office's emergency alert system
- Communication protocols between meteorological services and government departments
- Protection for British citizens travelling during hurricane season
As the clean-up operation begins, affected tourists are demanding a thorough investigation into why official warnings never reached them, and assurances that such failures won't be repeated.
