UK pledges £2.5m aid to Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa kills at least 34 across Caribbean
Further destruction is feared amid warnings the "dangerous storm" will hit other parts of the Caribbean
Britain has pledged to send £2.5 million to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc across the nation, in scenes described by Sir Keir Starmer as “truly shocking”.
Listen to this article
At least 34 people have been killed across the Caribbean after one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record tore through the region on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Upon seeing the impact of the Category Five storm, the UK Prime Minister told MPs that emergency humanitarian funding was being provided for Jamaica to help deliver emergency supplies such as shelter kits, water filters and blankets.
Read More: UK ready to send humanitarian support to Jamaica in wake of hurricane, says Starmer
Sir Keir added that naval vessel HMS Trent and “specialist rapid deployment teams” had also 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.”
Alongside the PM, King Charles said he was “deeply concerned” by the destruction and described it as a reminder of the “urgent need to restore the balance and harmony of nature”.
Their comments came after Jamaican officials confirmed that the bodies of three men and one woman had been recovered, before a further three people were confirmed dead.
At least 77 per cent of the country remains without power.
Meanwhile, Haitian officials have confirmed that at least 25 people, including a number of children, have died after Melissa brought severe flooding to the island.
Drone shots over Jamaica show the extent of the destruction, with flood waters in the streets, buildings destroyed, and power lines collapsed.
The west of Jamaica has been particularly badly hit, including key tourist areas such as Montego Bay.
Desmond McKenzie, a local government minister, said “it is not going to be an easy road” for Jamaica.
Further destruction is feared amid warnings that the "dangerous storm" will hit the Bahamas.
Read more: UK ready to send humanitarian support to Jamaica in wake of hurricane, says Starmer
Similar images from Cuba show the stark impact the storm has had, with the southeast of the island being the worst hit.
In a statement published on Wednesday evening, King Charles said: “This most dreadful of record-breaking storms reminds us of the increasingly urgent need to restore the balance and harmony of nature for the sake of all those whose lives and livelihoods may have been shattered by this heart-breaking disaster.”
He added: “My wife and I have been deeply concerned and profoundly saddened to see the catastrophic damage caused by the ferocity of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.
“As we continue to follow the situation closely, our anxious thoughts are with all those who have been so cruelly affected by this awful storm.
“Above all, our most heartfelt sympathy is with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have tragically lost their lives.”
The monarch, who is head of the Commonwealth, said he has held “the greatest affection” for Jamaica since his first visit to the island while serving in the Royal Navy on the West Indies station more than 50 years ago.
“I know that no disaster can break her people’s enduring spirit of strength, solidarity and steadfastness”, he added.
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."
The National Hurricane Centre has urged residents in Cuba to remain sheltered, and warned Bahamas residents to make preparations for the storm.
Bermuda’s meteorological service has also issued a hurricane warning, while a tropical storm warning is also in place for the Turks and Caicos Islands
The hurricane is also expected to pick up speed in the coming days.
As many as 8,000 Britons are in Jamaica, and the FCDO has urged them to register their presence through the Government website to receive updates on the hurricane.
The FCDO added that Melissa was “likely to be the strongest hurricane in Jamaica’s history” and was expected to have left towns and infrastructure “severely damaged or destroyed” with “long-duration power and communication outages” expected across the country.
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 hopes to reopen airports on Thursday to help in the distribution of emergency relief supplies.