UK evacuating Britons from Hurricane Melissa whilst sending aid

 

 

A UK government-chartered flight will evacuate stranded Britons from Jamaica on Saturday after Hurricane Melissa left large parts of the island devastated, killing at least 19 people and plunging most of the country into darkness.

 

The flight, departing from Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport, follows the arrival of British aid under a £7.5 million emergency package — including £1 million in matched donations for the Red Cross and Red Crescent. King Charles and Queen Camilla were among those contributing to relief funds.

 

With roads blocked and power out across 72% of the island, distributing aid remains perilous. The BBC reported long petrol queues, food shortages, and increasing desperation as locals broke into supermarkets for supplies. About 6,000 people remain in emergency shelters, and aid agencies are rushing to distribute tarpaulins, generators, and clean water.

 

“Homes are damaged, roads blocked, and lives lost,” said Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, announcing the additional £5 million in UK aid. “The scale of devastation is becoming clearer by the hour.”

 

Jamaica’s Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon said “entire communities seem to be marooned,” while Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton described “significant damage” across several hospitals — including Black River Hospital, which must now be fully relocated.

 

Roughly 8,000 British nationals were in Jamaica when the storm struck. The Foreign Office has urged citizens to register their presence and check commercial flight options as aid efforts expand.

Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, was one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Caribbean. It also left at least 30 dead in Haiti and caused flooding and landslides in Cuba.

 

In Jamaica, volunteer groups like Global Empowerment Mission are coordinating convoys from Kingston to the worst-hit western towns. Foreign governments have begun airlifting supplies by helicopter, but relief officials warn the current flow of assistance “is only a fraction of what’s needed.”

Key Takeaways

• UK charter flight to evacuate Britons from Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa kills 19.

• £7.5m British aid package includes £1m in matched Red Cross donations backed by King Charles.

• 72% of Jamaica still without electricity; hospitals and transport networks severely damaged.

 

Source: BBC News

 

 

 

 

 

Is it terribly mean to be resentful of tax payers money being used to "rescue" wealthy expats and holiday makers?

 

If indeed that is the case.

12 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

Is it terribly mean to be resentful of tax payers money being used to "rescue" wealth expats and holiday makers?

 

If indeed that is the case.

 

Yes.

1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Yes.

 

Can't argue with that.

20 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

Is it terribly mean to be resentful of tax payers money being used to "rescue" wealth expats and holiday makers?

 

If indeed that is the case.

 

Fortunately, we have far more resources to deal with such crises than we did 400 years ago.

 

There is no reason not to spend money to save lives.

 

400 years ago, we had only wooden ships, snail mail, and no AI....

Now, we have almost super powers, giving our present-day technology and resources, built on energy supplied by petroleum and other fossil fuels.

 

Although some might yearn for the simple times when our lives were less hectic, yet it is good to know that we have the US Coast Guard and the US Navy when we need them.

 

Still, I feel such nostalgia for the earlier times of wooden ships...

That is, until I need help from the super navy of the United States of America, replete with brawny helicopters flying in, one after another.

 

Our navy has advanced so much since the ancient times of wooden ships, and why not use them?

Even though, once in a while, it's fairly OK to listen to songs about days of yore....

 

 

 

 

We HIPPIES knew, years ago, that we are ALL BROTHERS....if one might just examine our DNA....

Certainly, we are not bananas, in truth....