Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has wreaked havoc on Jamaica, significantly impacting the country’s airports and the potential for aid. On October 29, Jamaica’s government reported that Norman Manley International Airport in the country’s capital, Kingston, did not suffer significant damage caused by Hurricane Melissa. Minister of Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport, Honorable Dary Vaz, did a walkthrough of Norman Manley and noted that the Palisadoes strip roadway to the airport also appeared undamaged. The government official stated that emergency relief flights and “commercial operations” would have priority once the flight hub reopens.
However, initial flights upon the reopening of the country’s impacted airports will not be for tourists hoping to evacuate.
“There are a lot of Jamaicans and other persons who want to help, who we want to get in,” Vax noted.
“We have gotten away with minimal, superficial damage in isolated areas,” he added on Wednesday about Norman Manley. “From all indications, after discussions with the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), and the operator [PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL)], we should be in a position to get the airport reopened as early as this afternoon.”
Meanwhile, the Caribbean island‘s busiest flight hub, Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, wasn’t spared from Hurricane Melissa’s wrath. Video footage captured in the flight hub after the recent natural disaster shows a seating area with severe roofing collapse and water damage, as well as flooding.
At the time Vax spoke, it was unclear whether the latter airport would be able to receive emergency relief planes.
“That is where the majority of the damage has taken place – and the areas and parishes around. And that is going to be critical to the recovery based on the distance that will have to be traveled from relief flights landing in Kingston and [supplies] being needed for western parishes,” Vax explained.
On-The-Ground Updates: Tourists, Rainfall, And Regional Airport Conditions
With many tourists stranded, remaining up to speed on the Jamaican government’s updates and those directly from airlines is imperative. According to Travel Weekly, around 25,000 tourists were in Jamaica when Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28.
The storm’s devastating winds reportedly reached speeds of up to 215 miles per hour. Some areas also allegedly received rainfall of up to three feet.
Vaz reportedly also intended to check on Ian Fleming International Airport in St. Mary Parish. Regarding the status of that flight hub, the official said, “Hopefully, we will be in a position to also announce the reopening or full operations there as quickly as possible.”
