Daughter faces wait as parents hit by hurricane

Trudi and Ian Ferguson have been enjoying a romantic break on the island

The daughter of a couple who are stranded in Jamaica says she is still waiting to hear from her parents after Hurricane Melissa struck the country.

About three-quarters of the island is without power and homes have been destroyed in what is the world's strongest storm of 2025.

Ian and Trudi Ferguson, from Witton Gilbert, County Durham, who are on a romantic break in a seafront hotel, were told to barricade themselves into their bathroom once the storm made landfall.

The last their daughter Robyn Laverick heard from them was at about 15:00 GMT on Tuesday (10:00 local time) when they said the roof of the hotel was starting to come off and the sea was surging.

At its peak, the hurricane sustained winds of 298 km/h (185 mph) - stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and killed 1,392 people.

Rain and winds lashed the island ahead of the full force of the storm

When she last heard from her parents, they were making preparations including filling their bath with water to be used to drink, wash, or flush the toilet.

"They were told to take towels, extra pillows and an extra duvet into their bathroom, which is where they were told to go once it hits, and sit in the shower tray," said Ms Laverick, who lives in Esh, County Durham.

"No-one knows how long they are going to be stuck in there for."

• Listen: Robyn Laverick speaks to BBC Radio Newcastle's Matt Bailey

Their last phone conversation was cut off, she said, and she did not know when she would be able to hear from them again.

She previously said her "only little glimmer of light" was seeing their names pop up on WhatsApp and knowing "they are still OK".

"But once that communication goes," she said, "there's going to be nothing, it's just going to be a waiting game.

"All I can think of is how terrifying for me it is back in England knowing I can't do anything, let alone how scary it must be for them."

The couple has been told to sit out the storm in their bathroom

Ms Laverick said she had been monitoring social media and hurricane trackers all night.

"I was just counting down the minutes until they were out of it," she told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"I'm trying to think positive and be optimistic about it."