As Hurricane Melissa approaches Jamaica, the Trinidad and Tobago government has successfully repatriated over 100 students studying in the region. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the evacuation efforts following a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee on October 25. She emphasized that the government has been proactive in ensuring the safety of its citizens abroad. Caribbean Airlines Ltd. (CAL) has been issuing notices on social media, and the TT High Commission in Jamaica has been coordinating with students who wished to return home. However, some students chose to remain, possibly due to delayed communication or personal decisions. The Prime Minister assured that once the hurricane passes, efforts will be made to bring those students home if they still desire to return. The TT High Commission is also ensuring that students have emergency supplies to weather the storm. Despite these measures, a representative from the TT Student Association revealed that nearly 300 students remain stranded at the UWI Mona campus in Jamaica. Many students received evacuation emails too late, and financial constraints prevented others from securing flights. The student representative criticized the government’s response, comparing it unfavorably to the swift actions of other countries like the Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, which evacuated their students earlier and provided accommodations. Hurricane Melissa, upgraded to a category one storm on October 25, is expected to intensify significantly before making landfall in Jamaica on October 27.
Government brings home over 100 students from Jamaica, 300 stranded in hurricane
