All 41 Barbadian students in Jamaica are accounted for and have been accommodated safely, ahead of the passing of Hurricane Melissa.
This was confirmed on Tuesday by Ambassador to CARICOM, David Comissiong, before the Category 5 hurricane lashed the west of the island with record high winds and torrential rains.
Some 26 students were evacuated at short notice, while others remained secure at the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus and at a hotel in the island’s capital, Kingston.
With Hurricane Melissa, the strongest in Jamaican history, striking the southwest coast on Tuesday and proceeding overland with wind gusts of 185 miles per hour, Comissiong told Barbados TODAY that the situation in Kingston, where most of the students are based, was stable and that Barbados’ honorary consul in Jamaica was keeping in contact with them.
Some students had been evacuated before the hurricane, while others remained on the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus and at the five-star Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.
“I think some [students] were put on a special flight when the word went out. [The students] had very little time to respond, I think no more than about four hours.
“You had to hear the call and you had to respond and get to the airport, so not everybody was able to,” Comissiong explained.
Public relations officer of the Barbados Student Association of Jamaica (BSAJ), Rakeia Mayers-Parris, told Barbados TODAY she was among the students who received the call Friday morning for an afternoon flight back to Barbados.
“…My mother bought me a ticket to come home, and there were 26 students that were able to get on the flight that [the PM] would have sent for us and it’s not a direct flight from Barbados,” Mayers-Parris said.
She recalled that they took a flight from Jamaica to Trinidad at about 3 p.m., on Friday on Caribbean Airlines before travelling to Barbados on interCaribbean Airways.
She noted that those left behind were not only UWI students, but from other universities as well.
“The government made arrangements for those students who did not feel safe at their home to go to a hotel.
“I’m not sure on that number of students in hotels. I know it’s several students that would have indicated that they don’t feel safe in their hall of residence and they were sent to a hotel, compliments of our government,” Mayer-Paris said.
Barbados TODAY understands that parts of the UWI Mona Campus in Kingston have already seen some damage to its infrastructure, as well as flooding on some student halls.
One student, who is currently staying on campus, said they were cautioned to stay indoors and secure their surroundings as looting had begun in their area.
Comissiong, however, assured that the Foreign Ministry continues to monitor the situation closely and remains in touch with students and Jamaican authorities.
In a social media post on Monday, BSAJ extended “deepest gratitude” to the government and “all those who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of Barbadian students” during the hurricane’s passage.
“Your swift response, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the welfare of our students have not gone unnoticed. It is through acts of care and solidarity like these that we continue to find reassurance and strength,” BSAJ said in its statement, while singling out Foreign Minister Kerrie Symmonds, Director General of Foreign Affairs Donna Forde, and Honorary Consul Winston Bayley, as well as Jason McKenzie, the director of student services at the University of the West Indies at Mona.
(LG)
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