Ashley Thorpe has been left stuck in Jamaica because of Hurricane Melissa
Ashley Thorpe (Image: Ashley Thorpe )
A Manchester man who is trapped in Jamaica due to Hurricane Melissa has spoken about the ordeal.
Author Ashley Thorpe was on a two week family holiday in the Caribbean island when a national emergency alert was triggered for what was described as the world’s strongest storm this year.
The 38-year-old was staying at a resort in the coastal town of Lucea, which is located between Negril and Montego Bay.
He says that he found out about the impending storm just five days into his getaway and had plans to travel back home to Manchester on Sunday (October 26).
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However, the closest airport, in Montego Bay, was suddenly closed for safety on Saturday (October 25) – leaving him with no choice but to see out the category five hurricane by barricading the doors of his hotel room as it tore through the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton resort.
Ashley Thorpe (Image: Ashley Thorpe )
Speaking to the M.E.N., Ashley, from south Manchester said: “We weren’t in the direct line but it was still going. It was pretty much from the early hours of the early morning.
“Our door was rattling and its frame so we had to barricade it with chairs against it. The speeds were like 280km/h at its peak.
Damage caused to the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton resort by Hurricane Melissa
“We could see torrential rain, it was very hot and humid, the air was full of moisture.
“Palm trees and stuff like that are torn down today, gutters have come down, loads of stuff has fallen.”
For now, it’s a waiting game for Ashley and his family, who remain in Jamaica.
“My mum and dad managed to catch a flight back home on Saturday,” he said.
Ashley says he is now waiting for news on when it is safe to travel back to Manchester
“Our flight was meant to be on Sunday. At 8pm on Saturday they were saying that there are no more flights from the airport and we’re stuck, basically.
“At the minute it’s waiting for the authorities to assess the infrastructure. I’m actually grateful my flight was a package holiday with TUI.
“They’re the ones who have had to pay for the expense and the flights with them so they’re trying to handle it. There’ll be quite a backlog so it’s a bit of a nightmare.”
Despite the extreme circumstances, Ashley said that he had nothing but praise and admiration for the way the locals have handled the cataclysmic event.
“It’s going to take a while to get to the point where they were,” he said.
“I class myself as fortunate, I’m going to be heading back home soon, but they’ll have to stay here and rebuild and they need help.
“I have to applaud everyone because they were incredibly calm. The guidance was super clear as well.
“Because they handled it in such a way it allowed me to feel a bit more assured.
“There were some tetchy moments yesterday, I’m not going to lie, but we managed to see it through.”
The storm has caused significant damage to the Caribbean
Hurricane Melissa, which was described by the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) as “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin”, battered the Caribbean island with 185mph winds.
Heavy floodwaters swept across the country as wind tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled into roads, with landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages reported.
As many as 8,000 British citizens are in the country, with people ordered to stay inside. Earlier on Tuesday, they had been asked to register their presence with the British government.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Sir Keir said: “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.
“HMS Trent and specialist rapid deployment teams are pre-positioned in the region, and we stand ready to provide humanitarian support.”
Extensive damage was reported in parts of Clarendon in southern Jamaica and in the south-western parish of St Elizabeth, which was “under water”, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.
The storm also damaged four hospitals and left one without power, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients, Mr McKenzie said.
More than half a million customers were without power late on Tuesday as officials reported that most of the island experienced downed trees, power lines and extensive flooding.
The government said it hopes to reopen all of Jamaica’s airports as early as Thursday to ensure the quick distribution of emergency relief supplies.
The hurricane is continuing to move north and has made landfall in eastern Cuba. It has now been downgraded from a category 5 to a category 3 storm.
Flooding from Hurricane Melissa has resulted in the deaths of 25 people in Haiti, an official on the island has reported.