British woman living in Jamaica says Hurricane Melissa has been ‘terrifying’

A British woman living in Jamaica said she feared she would have to “grab the kids and run” as Hurricane Melissa struck the country.

Cheshire-born Michaela Menezes is sheltering with her children Luca, 14, and Isabella, 10, in the R Hotel near her home in Kingston, fearing her property may lose its electricity and water supply.

She has lived in Jamaica for 14 years but said she has never experienced a weather event as severe as Hurricane Melissa – a category five hurricane which swept across the island on Tuesday and has now made landfall in Cuba as a category three storm.

Ms Menezes, 45, told the PA news agency: “As soon as I heard (there was going to be a storm), I stocked up on supplies, but I thought to myself: ‘Hell no, this is beyond my remit’.

“I’m British, I wasn’t raised to know what to do in a hurricane. I have never experienced anything that severe before, so I put my dog in the kennels and I found a hotel to book into, to ride it out for four days.

“It was terrifying when the storm was taking place… It was very scary and I did have to manage that.

“I was in bed that first night and I thought, should I put my trainers on and my contact lenses in, in case I have to grab the kids and run?”

Ms Menezes, an event director, said she and her family had been “very lucky” compared to others, adding she had been unable to reach friends elsewhere in Jamaica who are without power.

She said her son Luca had received messages from school friends whose homes have been damaged in the storm, with solar panels having “blown off” their houses.

Ms Menezes will drive home on Wednesday to assess any damage to her property and decide on her family’s next steps.

Manager of R Hotel Kimesha James, 35, has been helping to coordinate support for guests as the fully-booked hotel follows its plan for emergencies.

Ms James lives in Kingston and said her home is undamaged but without electricity.

She said: “I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was a major hurricane and we’ve never had a category five before, so that was scary.

“But we prepared for it nevertheless, as much as we could.”

She described the weather on Wednesday morning as calm and said it will be a day for people to assess the damage that has been done.

Ms James said the hotel has a mix of guests staying, including stranded holidaymakers and locals who have sought refuge.

She said her staff had been delivering breakfast, lunch and dinner directly to guests’ rooms, and ensured staff were available “24/7” to help guests feel “safe and comfortable”.

The hotel made preparations in case of flooding and has generators on standby in case the power goes out.

Ms James said: “All of this is really a team effort. The staff are going above and beyond and have really come together to make this experience a positive one for our guests.”