Johnny Gupta, from Prestwich, had flown to Jamaica with his wife, two children and son-in-law for a dream holiday, but his trip turned into a nightmare when Hurricane Melissa hit.
A Briton who took his family on a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip to Jamaica has spoken of the moment the apocalyptically powerful Hurricane Melissa hit the island.
Johnny Gupta, from Prestwich, had flown to the island with his wife, two children and son-in-law to enjoy a week’s holiday in the tropical paradise.
But the family’s dream vacation turned into a nightmare when Hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc on the island.
Johnny and his loved ones are just some of the 8,000 British citizens currently in the country, with tourists and locals ordered to shelter inside on Tuesday as the world’s strongest storm of the year so far hit them, leaving “catastrophic winds” and “flash flooding” in its wake.
The storm hit southwestern Jamaica, near New Hope, with sustained winds of 185 mph, rated “one of the most powerful hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin” by the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami.
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The disastrous hurricane left dozens dead and widespread destruction in Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, where roofless homes, downed utility poles and waterlogged furniture dominate the landscape.
Johnny told the Manchester Evening News how he initially arrived in Jamaica with his family last Wednesday (October 22), recalling how they were greeted by glorious weather and sunshine, unaware of the looming threat of the hurricane.
After first hearing about the possibility of the weather phenomenon hitting his beachfront hotel the next day, he said he initially “didn’t believe it” and told his family “everything would be fine.”
It wasn’t until Sunday, when his hotel guests were informed that they had to be moved to another hotel for their safety, that panic began.
“If we had known about this hurricane, of course I wouldn’t have flown here with my family,” Johnny told reporters. “When we arrived on Wednesday, the weather was fantastic. It was sunny, everyone was singing and dancing.
“People said there was a storm coming, but the weather was so good I didn’t believe it. I told my kids everything would be fine.
“Friday and Saturday came and we heard more and more news, and then they moved us to a different hotel a minute away on Sunday night. That’s when people started panicking.”
The weather continued to worsen throughout Monday, with guests ordered back to their rooms at 10 pm and everyone heading to the lobby at 6.30 am on Tuesday morning, when the storm made landfall in Jamaica. They were told to “only bring essential items,” Johnny said.
Hundreds of people were packed into a basement, and others were packed into hallways and sleeping on deck chairs and loungers. Water began falling from the roof when the storm hit, and Johnny captured the incidents on camera.
“We were hearing the wind getting worse and worse, it was very strong,” Johnny said. “At one o’clock in the afternoon, Jamaica time, the windows and doors were boarded up. Trees were falling outside.
“Everyone was moved to different areas. Hundreds of people panicked. Some were moved to the theaters, hundreds were downstairs in the basement.
“Then water started coming in from the ceiling. It was like being on the Titanic and we were all sitting there waiting to drown. There was water everywhere.
“One of the roofs my wife was sitting next to fell an inch from where she was standing, which could have killed her. It was just horrible.
“I have to admit that around 6pm we were pretty scared and didn’t know what was going to happen or if the building was going to collapse on us. It just kept getting worse and worse.”
Heavy flooding hit the region as wind tore roofs off buildings and rocks fell onto roads, causing landslides, downed trees and numerous power outages.
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“Half the staff lost their homes,” he added. “The devastation occurred outside the hotel premises. We are still not allowed to leave.
“From 1pm to 9pm, there were eight hours of 185mph winds. Constant. We live in Manchester and are used to 300 days of rain and storms, but this was on a different level. I had never seen anything like it. We were all scared, but I had faith in my God that we would be okay.
“We were supposed to return today, but half of the airport is destroyed. They are not sure when they will take us back.
“The workers were doing everything they could under the circumstances to take care of us. We still don’t have water, we haven’t washed ourselves or brushed our teeth. People are still sleeping in the hallways because their rooms are not safe.
“It was the vacation of a lifetime. We worked really hard last year and knew we wanted to go somewhere we’d never been before. It was something special to do as a family.
“But for British travelers, I don’t think any of us understood what was coming. We knew it was serious when we were told to evacuate our rooms and collect our essential items.
“We are now confined to our rooms, no pool, no amenities, no water. The staff has been amazing in taking care of us, I am praying for them in these unprecedented times.”
