The Antigua and Barbuda government is finalizing plans to evacuate students studying in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the island with winds of up to 175 mph and gusts reaching 241 mph.
Director of Communications in the Office of the Prime Minister, Maurice Merchant, said students housed at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston will remain there until further notice. The number of students has now risen to 53.
Merchant, who manages the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme, spent Monday coordinating with students and urging them to take every precaution as the storm approached.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne ordered the relocation of students to the hotel last weekend for their safety, initially for a short stay, but worsening conditions delayed their return.
As of Monday night, Hurricane Melissa — described by forecasters as a “super storm” stronger than 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert — was about 150 miles south of Jamaica. Browne called on Antiguans and Barbudans to pray for Jamaica and said his government stands ready to provide assistance after the storm passes.
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Antigua is a very strange place. Every dog puss and cat evacuated their students. We put ours in Bed and Breakfast. What did you expect sunshine after the storm passed. It’s a disaster zone to be. Now it’s a 10x harder task to bring them home with relief efforts being flown in. You guys should have taken them out from the start.
Praying for all the Antiguan and Barbudan students over there. Stay calm and follow official instructions.
Evacuate them to where? Airports closed. The is already in the vicinity so tell me please
Kmft
Incredible quite a lot of amazing facts
Alyo so evil minded an fucked up this why I hate my own kind of ppl u all sick in the head only kin yo u all own this hurricane can flatten Jamaica those students in Jamaica studying law do u see law school in Antigua????
We are lack of basic an has nothing we depends on other ppl country for resources those ppl are human they are babies there they are children there I pray for the entire island this could of been is
The City of Kingston was spared the full wrath of Melissa and so the students are ok in their current accommodation area. The electricity stayed on right throughout the night and though the winds are still blowing fiercely, it is nothing in comparison to those areas where the storm made landfall. All the Antiguans and Barbudans here should be well accounted for and are ok. Thanks for the prayers and keep praying cause it is not all over as yet.