UK Evacuates Britons from Jamaica Amid Hurricane Melissa Aftermath

Sun Nov 02 2025 04:07:21 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In response to widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, the UK government is organizing an evacuation flight for British nationals stranded in Jamaica while simultaneously sending aid to assist affected areas.

A chartered flight from the UK government is scheduled to evacuate British nationals from Jamaica as the country deals with the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa, which has resulted in fatalities and significant destruction. Alongside the evacuation efforts, the UK is delivering aid worth £7.5 million to support relief operations. Despite the arrival of aid, distribution is complicated by blocked roads and a lack of electricity affecting many communities.

A chartered flight from the UK government is set to depart Jamaica on Saturday evacuating British nationals from the country in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

The flight, set to leave from Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport, comes after the UK flew aid in earlier in the day as part of a £7.5m regional emergency package.

Some of the funding will be used to match public donations up to £1m to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent - with King Charles and Queen Camilla among those who have donated.

Despite aid arriving in Jamaica in recent days, blocked roads have complicated distribution after Hurricane Melissa devastated parts of the island, killing at least 19 people.

The hurricane made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a category five storm and was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever measured in the Caribbean.

Melissa swept across the region over a number of days, leaving behind a trail of destruction and dozens of fatalities, including at least 30 in Haiti, and flooding and landslides in Cuba.

Jamaica's Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon stated on Friday, there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened.

Approximately 8,000 British nationals were thought to be on the island at the time of the hurricane.

The UK foreign office has urged citizens to register their presence in Jamaica and advised travelers to check commercial flight options.

The UK initially set aside a £2.5m immediate financial support package for the region, with an additional £5m announced by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Friday.

Cooper indicated that the announcement followed the gathering of more information regarding the scale of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, which has damaged homes, blocked roads, and caused loss of life.

The British Red Cross mentioned that King Charles and Queen Camilla’s donation would help the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) continue its lifesaving work which includes search and rescue efforts, healthcare provision, safe shelter, and clean water access.

Currently, 72% of the Jamaican population is without electricity, and around 6,000 people are staying in emergency shelters.

With the electricity grid severely impacted, any generators distributed by aid agencies are deemed crucial, along with tarpaulins due to the housing crisis.

Meanwhile, as many seek clean drinking water and basic food supplies, there have been reports of desperate individuals entering supermarkets to gather and distribute any available food.

The BBC observed queues at petrol pumps, where people waited for hours only to be informed that supplies had run out.

Authorities are prepared to assist the public in these challenges and more aid is expected to arrive soon.

The health minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, reported on Saturday significant damage to numerous hospitals, especially the Black River Hospital in St Elizabeth, which is expected to relocate its services due to the damage sustained.

However, aid efforts are underway, with organizations like the Global Empowerment Mission dispatching convoys of humanitarian assistance from Kingston to the severely affected areas.

Authorities assure that while immediate needs remain critical, help is on the way.