Copyright 7newsbelize
With maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour, Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica tomorrow morning, and there are still hundreds of international students who were unable to make it out of the country. One of those persons along with her family is Belizean University student, Shantel Neal. We spoke with Neal today via zoom in Montego Bay on the north coast of Jamaica. She gave us some insight on her hurricane prep these next couple of hours. Shantel Neal, Belizean Student in Jamaica "Well my biggest concern would be safety, where I am currently living, Bogue which is not too far from the airport I am not too familiar with the area in terms of flooding and so I am kind of worried about the waters coming into where we are currently living and yeah at this time I do not have an evacuation plan, and it is not normal for Shantel to not have a plan so being that I am not at home it is presenting a challenge for me to even plan on what would be the next move I know shelters, they have opened shelters but seeing that I am not from here it is not easy for me to just walk into a shelter so I am planning, my husband and I, my 2 boys we are planning on just battling it out at home." "I haven't gone through a hurricane at this magnitude, this projected magnitude but I can remember last year I did the coverage with Beryl with Channel 7 and I had to track hurricane Beryl as it went from island to island and just seeing what it did to Carriacou just mashing it down and speaking to all the persons on ground that we did interview I think we even did one with Evan Thompson who is the chief met officer out here just doing the coverages I think all of that has me ever more anxious because I can see what a storm can do." Neal says she has been tracking the storm since last week Wednesday and wasted no time to go out and hunt for essentials. Shantel Neal, Belizean Student in Jamaica "That too has been a challenge we are unable to find items, we have been looking for grocery items, items for emergency care and items for medical, our first aid kit and finding those things has been a challenge we were looking for a simple thing like a power bank and one of our sons the youngest one he travels with asthma and so his pump works with power and so we went out to look and we had to go through several stores to get something so finding supplies has been a challenge and you know just being able to get around. The streets are busy everybody is out rushing for things gas stations same thing." And as for the other Belizean students she has made contact with in advance of the hurricane, she says that at her school, Northern Caribbean University no one has received any info from the government or the Belizean Student Union in regards to support and assistance for them during this time. She says that most of them will have to fend for themselves, especially those living off campus. Shantel Neal, Belizean Student in Jamaica "There are many other universities here in Jamaica and I am not sure if they are reaching out to the other ones but our university was not contacted so I reached out to my Belizean young persons because they are younger than I am and just to check in and I am pleased to say that everyone is well, everyone is safe and so that is what I can report but unfortunately no one has reached out. My situation is kind of unique because I am here with my family. We are not on campus and apparently once you are not on campus you are basically on your own so my heart goes out to fellow students who are here they are far away from home some of them very young and may have not gone through a storm before but I can understand how parents feel at this time having their kids out here so far away and no way to contact because we were told power might go out, water might go so if you are not living on campus you are basically on your own so it is nerve racking and we will definitely need your prayers." Melissa is expected to make landfall along Jamaica's southern coast tomorrow morning but the highest risk from dangerous winds will be focused on the area northeast the storm's center - which unfortunately means most of the island.
