UK ready to send humanitarian support to Jamaica in wake of hurricane, says Starmer
Thousands of British tourists remain stranded in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
The UK is ready to provide Jamaica with humanitarian support in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he described scenes from the country as “truly shocking”.
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The Prime Minister told MPs on Wednesday that naval vessel HMS Trent and “specialist rapid deployment teams” had been “pre-positioned in the region” to provide support.
At the start of Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir told the Commons: “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.
“I can update the House that HMS Trent and specialist rapid deployment teams are pre-positioned in the region, and we stand ready to provide humanitarian support.”
On Tuesday, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said Melissa was “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin” as it hit south-western Jamaica near New Hope with sustained winds of 185mph.
The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations from high-risk areas, and all of the country’s airports are shut.
As many as 8,000 British nationals are in Jamaica, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has urged them to register their presence through the Government website to receive updates on the hurricane.
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said a crisis centre had been set up to help Britons on the Caribbean island.
Jovan, a caller living in Kingston, Jamaica, told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "It really devastated parts of Westmoreland, parts of St. Elizabeth, parts of Manchester, parts of Clarendon. These are parishes pretty much along the south coast of the country right now, more than half of the population, population without electricity.
"We have 15,000 people in shelters and we still yet don't have a handle on the scale of the impact of Hurricane Melissa."
Noting that the Prime Minister is expected to lead a tour by helicopter tomorrow to assess the damage, he added that "three persons died in preparation for the hurricane, but certainly since the system has passed, we do not have any idea and we hope actually it remains that way where we hope no lives were lost."
The storm has now made landfall in eastern Cuba and dropped from a category five to a category three hurricane.
Residents in Cuba have been warned by the National Hurricane Centre in Miami to remain sheltered and has urged the Bahamas to make preparations for the storm, which is predicted to reach the country later on Wednesday.
The Jamaican government hopes to reopen airports on Thursday to help in the distribution of emergency relief supplies.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We understand how worrying developments in Jamaica are for British nationals and their families, their safety and security is our top priority.
“Our travel advice is regularly updated and includes information about hurricane season, which runs from June to November. Yesterday we launched Register Your Presence, and urge British nationals in Jamaica to sign up to receive updates.”