Pregnant woman waited years for family reunion but found herself in ‘horror movie’ when hurricane struck

A pregnant woman who waited 21 years for a family reunion in the Caribbean found herself in a “horror movie” when a hurricane tore through her parents’ house.

Tanekka Fleary, 41, from Southall, West London, travelled to Carriacou, Grenada, on June 26 2024, with her children, Alanah, five; and Zayde, two; to reunite her extended family for the first time in more than two decades – but instead of a happy family holiday, what unfolded would leave her children traumatised.

Hurricane Beryl was initially reported as a category three on June 30, but it quickly turned into a category four with windspeeds over 130mph by July 1, and they had no time to prepare.

When the hurricane struck that day, Tanekka was working inside when the internet cut out, and suddenly, the sky turned black, followed by a “loud roar, like a million lions”, and the roof ripped off “like a sardine can”.

Tanekka and her family huddled under the dining table for three hours and found refuge at her uncle’s house. She and her parents, who live in the UK full time and have a house in a Grenada as a second home, then got a flight back to the UK.

Her parents’ house was left in ruins with repairs estimated at 300,000 East Caribbean dollars (£85,980), which her parents are refusing to pay as it is a “ridiculous amount” – her aunts and uncles are currently trying to repair it by themselves.

Tanekka hopes to honour her late grandfather, a former Grenadian Prime Minister, Herbert Blaize, by supporting Carriacou’s recovery through her tourism business.

“At one point, when the winds were really bad, my daughter said, ‘We’re going to be killed,'” Tanekka, founder of Golden Grenadine Travel, told PA Real Life.

“I could hear things falling on top of the table and water dripping through, I thought that was the end for me.

“I was so worried about something happening to my baby.

“My son was terrified for a while, running to me every time it rained – my daughter still asks if the storm is coming back whenever she hears wind.”

Tanekka Fleary’s family are originally from Carriacou, with seven sets of aunts and uncles and several cousins still living there, and her parents, Marion Fleary, 70; David Fleary, 81; who live in the UK, also having a house on the island.

The house was Tanekka’s late-grandparents’ house, and is seen as their family’s home, with her aunties and uncles looking after it when they are not there.

Tanekka had not been back for 21 years, as “life had been so busy”, and she was hoping for a joyful family reunion.

At the time, Tanekka was four months pregnant, with her baby being due in December 2024, and was “a bit apprehensive about flying”.

But, she was “really excited” to return to the island with her two children and create “new memories with them”.

When she arrived, she stayed with her parents in their house but, on June 30, she noticed a category three weather warning, and expected it to be very windy.

On July 1, Tanekka remembers high winds and rain for about 20 minutes while she was working at a desk in the house.

Her parents were keeping her children occupied, and when they lost internet connection, Tanekka began to realise that conditions had taken a turn for the worse outside.

Tanekka noticed trees falling down, rainwater coming in through the kitchen door, and the bedroom doors shaking.

The beds were also “soaked”, with rain leaking in from the roof, so she brought her son’s cot downstairs to keep it dry.

Although Tanekka “knew the storm wasn’t over”, she checked the porch for any damage but “heard a voice yelling, ‘get back inside, the storm isn’t done yet’,” so she did so, expecting the storm to continue as before.

She focused on distracting her two young children but, suddenly, despite it being the middle of the day, the sky went dark, “like something out of a horror movie”.

She added: “The living room doors started to move, and then a loud roar, like a million lions, shook the house.

“My son screamed in terror and ran to me as the doors blew open.

“At that moment, I ran to shelter my children and saw the ceiling and roof lift off in one piece – it was as though a hand from above peeled it away like a sardine can.”

The family took cover under the dining table, using her son’s cot as a shield.

After sitting under the table for three hours, the storm eventually died down, and the sun came out again.

One of Tanekka’s uncles, Chris Blaize, then came to rescue them, as his house had one dry room.

In her uncle’s house, Tanekka’s daughter slept on a camp bed, while she, her son, and her parents shared a king-sized bed, and her uncle slept on the sofa.

A few days later, another uncle, Mario Blaize, checked on them, and they were able to briefly catch up, later staying with him for a few days.

But it was not the reunion they had expected and did not include the whole family.

She made the difficult decision to return to the UK on August 8 to give her family space, but her children were traumatised by the hurricane.

She added: “My parents took it in (their) stride, but I could see the sadness in my mum’s eyes as she looked around at the destruction of the house she grew up in.”

Tanekka’s parents were quoted 300,000 East Caribbean dollars (£85,980) to repair their home.

Tanekka added: “They refuse to pay such a ridiculous amount, just to fix the roof, and are actively looking for more realistic quotes but with the whole island damaged, everyone is doing the same.”

So, they have come back to the UK, with Tanekka’s aunts and uncles looking after the house and slowly repairing it themselves as the family believe “everyone is responsible” for the house’s upkeep.

Tanekka hopes to return to the island next summer and have the reunion she was originally expecting.

She is also planning to help the people of the island through her business, Golden Grenadine Travel, a bespoke, vegan, eco-luxury travel company.

She was further inspired by her late grandfather, Herbert Blaize, who “always worked hard to look after his people”.

She said: “I want to carry on his legacy and help the people of Carriacou build back stronger and better through regenerative tourism.

“When Carriacou is ready to welcome visitors again, I want to encourage tourists to visit in a way that will help this beautiful island continue to flourish.”

Reflecting on her experience, she was reminded of the importance of family.

“When we first got there, me and my kids are all vegan, I was worrying about what we were going to be able to eat, and if I would have time to go and see some luxury hotels for the business,” she said.

“Now I realise that doesn’t matter – I’m just so grateful I have my family and none of them got injured or killed.”