'Jamaica will rise up together after hurricane'

Stafford Geohagen said he had been receiving updates from his brother in Jamaica

Stafford Geohagen, a Brixton restaurateur, is one of many Londoners with family in Jamaica waiting for updates from their loved ones in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.

The strongest storm to strike the Caribbean island in modern history, the hurricane sustained winds of 298 km/h (185 mph) at its peak - stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and killed 1,392 people.

Jamaican authorities reported that at least five people had died in the St Elizabeth area on the southwest coast.

Mr Geohagen said: "When the dust has settled and we evaluate the damages, as a nation we shall come together and we shall rise up again."

In Jamaica, much of the country is isolated without power or phone coverage, and information is slowly trickling through.

Three-quarters of the country had no electricity overnight, and many parts of Jamaica's western side are under water, with homes destroyed by strong winds.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said Hurricane Melissa has caused "total devastation" in parts of the island, with the town of Black River completely destroyed.

In nearby Haiti, at least 20 people - including 10 children - have died in river flooding caused by the hurricane, and a further 10 people are missing, the country's civil defence agency said.

Haiti, significantly less developed than its neighbours, is likely to see "extensive damage and isolation of communities".

Many parts of Jamaica's western side are under water following the hurricane

Mr Geohagen, owner of Jamaican food outlet Healthy Eaters, said his parents, siblings and extended family all lived in Jamaica.

"We have to be very strong and maintain togetherness when these things happen. The rebuilding is always quite difficult.

"But one thing I can assure you - Jamaicans are strong, they are resilient, and they are always ready to weather the storm and take on whatever challenges that might present."

He said he urged his father to go and stay with his brother before the storm hit, and warned him that it would be a "suicide mission" if he stayed put.

"They went to stay with my elder brother," Mr Geohagen said. "He's got more of a slab roof and he boarded up all his yard storm shutters. So that was the perfect place for them to go during this serious storm."

Mr Geohagen said he was "certain Jamaica will build itself up"

He said he had been trying to check in every hour with his family.

"I know there's a lot of power outages.

"My brother uses a different type of system that is more stable in terms of internet.

"Other family members I have been unable to get to. Most other people rely on the other providers in the island, and without power, most of these connection is gone.

"It's quite frustrating now, not knowing what is happening with the other members of the family."

He said the hurricane had brought the nation together, adding: "Despite all the challenges that they might face otherwise, I'm quite certain Jamaica will build itself up.

"When the dust has settled and we evaluate the damages, together as a nation we shall come together and we shall rise up again together."

Sir Keir Starmer said the UK was ready to provide Jamaica with humanitarian support

BBC London spoke to other Londoners who had family impacted by the hurricane.

One woman said her relatives had to move to higher land after their house was flooded.

"Because they're right down by the sea, they have had to relocate.

"We have been getting barrels ready to send and they are in our prayers every day."

Another woman said she was "very worried", adding: "I can't help. That makes me worried even more."

One woman said she would be sending barrels of provisions to relatives in Jamaica

Brent resident Mandy Tomlin was on holiday in Ochi on the northern coast of Jamaica when the hurricane hit.

She said people were "fighting for survival" and taking food from the hotel's restaurant when it went into lockdown.

Ms Tomlin described hearing "trees snapping and the wind rattling the doors" as the hurricane arrived.

"It was terrifying, because obviously we have never been in a situation like this before so we didn't know what to do," she said. "A lot of people were hiding in bathrooms."

The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations from high-risk areas, and all of the country's airports are shut.

As many as 8,000 British nationals are in Jamaica, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has urged them to register their presence through the government website to receive updates.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who described the scenes as "truly shocking" said the UK was ready to provide Jamaica with humanitarian support.

Sir Keir told MPs on Wednesday that naval vessel HMS Trent and specialist rapid deployment teams had been pre-positioned in the region to help.

Additional reporting by Grant Williams, Local Democracy Reporting Service.