The UK chartered flights to bring many of the estimated 8,000 Brits currently in Jamaica back home.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the flights were being chartered in a bid to help those unable to make it home via commercial flights.
It comes after Hurricane Melissa ushered in devastation and claimed dozens of lives when it bulldozed through Jamaica.
Harrowing scenes showed the wreckage the hurricane left behind in its week from completely demolishing buildings and hurling debris great distances.
At least 34 people across Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti have died in the hurricane.
Are you in the Caribbean right now? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk
The Mirror's live coverage of Hurricane Melissa has ended.
UK charters flights to bring Brits out of Jamaica
The UK has charted flights in a bid to help the estimated 8,000 Brits who are in Jamaica.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that it was chartering the flights in a bid to assist those still in the country who could not make it back home.
It said the flights are for people "who are unable to fly home commercially."
Jamaica PM visits sites devastated by hurricane
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has visited sites that were devastated by the hurricane.
In a post shared to social media, he said: "The parish of St. James was also greatly affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The impact has been significant, affecting homes, infrastructure and livelihoods across several communities.
"I am currently touring the parish to assess the extent of the damage and to reassure residents that they have the full support of the Government as we work toward a complete recovery."
The parish of St. James was also greatly affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The impact has been significant, affecting homes, infrastructure and livelihoods across several communities.
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) October 29, 2025
I am currently touring the parish to assess the extent of the damage and to… pic.twitter.com/GdyZ2h9luv
Hurricane Melissa in pictures
Hurricane Melissa devastation in pictures
Storm forecast
Melissa was a Category 2 storm with top sustained winds near 100mph early Thursday and was moving north-northeast at 21mph according to the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami.
The hurricane was centered about 145 miles northeast of the central Bahamas and about 755 miles southwest of Bermuda.
Melissa is forecast to pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and may strengthen further before weakening Friday.
Starmer says scenes from Hurricane Melissa ‘truly shocking’
Sir Keir told the Commons: "The scenes of destruction emerging from Jamaica are truly shocking."
"Both the Foreign Secretary and I have been in close contact with our Jamaican counterparts in recent days to offer the UK's full support.
"I can update the House that HMS Trent and specialist rapid deployment teams are pre-positioned in the region, and we stand ready to provide humanitarian support."
Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba pick up the pieces after Melissa’s destruction
Emergency relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport, which reopened late Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies.
“The devastation is enormous,” Jamaican Transportation Minister Daryl Vaz said.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said up to 90% of roofs in the southwest coastal community of Black River were destroyed.
“Black River is what you would describe as ground zero,” he said. “The people are still coming to grips with the destruction.”
Influencer under fire after complaining Hurricane Melissa ‘messed with’ her Jamaica holiday
Hannah Grubbs posted on TikTok about her trip Friday, including a since-deleted video of her and a friend walking through the airport as text across the screen read, “Us on our way to Jamaica during a hurricane.”
After landing in Jamaica, the TikTok star continued to share more videos referencing the storm, including a post from Sunday where she’s being served drinks by a bartender as she wrote, “pretending there’s not a category 5 hurricane about to hit Jamaica.”
She proceeded to show clips of the weather getting progressively worse, with one clip of her overlooking the balcony of her hotel room with text across the screen reading, “Hurricane Melissa out here messing with my vacation.”
Mapped: Hurricane Melissa's forecasted path
According to the National Hurricane Center this is Hurricane Melissa's forecasted path:
Shelters bursting at the seams
In Cuba, officials reported collapsed houses, blocked mountain roads and roofs blown off buildings Wednesday, with the heaviest destruction concentrated in the southwest and northwest. Authorities said about 735,000 people remained in shelters.
In Jamaica, more than 25,000 people were packed into shelters Wednesday after the storm ripped roofs off their homes and left them temporarily homeless.
Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Canel speaks out
| Presidente @DiazCanelB:
— Presidencia Cuba (@PresidenciaCuba) October 30, 2025
La tarea más dura: la recuperación, está por empezar. La vida triunfó dos veces hoy para #Cuba. Pero para los revolucionarios, cada meta es otro punto de partida.
Intervención del mandatario en la @mesaredondacuba:https://t.co/3ldEb3cF6J
Photos show Hurricane Melissa’s impact on the Caribbean
'Sick' AI and fake videos emerging in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa
Disturbing AI videos showing sharks circling floodwaters in Jamaica have appeared following Hurricane Melissa’s rampage through the island, reports Mirror US.
Hurricane Melissa crosses The Bahamas
On the US National Hurricane Centre website the eye of the storm is currently between Long Island and Rum Cay Island. The sustained wind speed is about 90mph (150km/h), making it a category one storm.
The hurricane will continue to travel northwards towards Bermuda, where it is expected to hit on Thursday night.
Prime Minister of Jamaica issues update
I am now in St James where we are continuing our damage assessment.
— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) October 29, 2025
The residents here have suffered significant damage including severe flooding.
Despite the difficulties the Jamaican spirit shines through as a strong reminder that we are a resilient nation with the capacity to… pic.twitter.com/dPDL8Evjnb
'Critically low' blood supplies in Jamaica
Jamaicans are being urged to give blood as soon as conditions allow after the country's health ministry declared a "critically low" level of blood supplies.
It comes after Hurricane Melissa disrupted routine blood collection drives, and slowed the movement of blood to hospitals.
Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, Jamaica's chief medical officer, said: "We are urging all Jamaicans who are able to give blood.
"Your donation can save lives, especially at a time when hospitals are still in emergency mode and every unit counts."
Aerial footage shows total destruction with homes ripped bare
Footage shows total destruction with the roofs and walls of buildings collapsed, trees fallen and roads blocked after Hurricane Melissa hit.
On the route to Black River, two hours south of Kingston, Jamaica, debris prevented cars from getting through and isolated the town.
Clips showed vehicles backed up on a road with trees having fallen down and blocking their way while there are also images of houses which have been destroyed and lying in ruins.
Read more: Hurricane Melissa aerial footage shows total destruction with homes ripped bare
Jamaica to reopen airports
Jamaican's transport minister Daryl Vaz said the island’s main international airport in Kingston and a smaller international airport in St Mary will reopen late this afternoon.
He added that the airports will open only to relief flights on Wednesday, with UN agencies and dozens of nonprofits on standby to distribute goods.
Both airports will reopen to commercial operations early Thursday morning, but commercial flights might not start until Friday, Mr Vaz said.
He said: “The devastation is enormous. We need all hands on deck to recover stronger and to help those in need at this time.”
Guantanamo Bay on lockdown as Hurricane Melissa hits
The US Navy has ordered personnel into shelters at its Guantánamo Bay base, where residents have been told to bring their own bedding, food and water for three days.
Meteorologists say Melissa will remain a “highly destructive” system for several days as it moves north-west past Cuba onwards to the Bahamas, though the hurricane is expected to spare the US mainland.
Latest as Hurricane Melissa moves towards Bahamas
According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Hurricane Melissa is currently located 80 miles southeast of the central Bahamas, and is moving northeast at 16 mph.
Melissa’s maximum sustained winds are 90 mph, making it a Category 1 storm.
A hurricane warning has been by the Bahaman government for the central and southeast part of the archipelago, including Exuma, Long Island, Cat Island, San Salvador, Acklins, Mayaguana, and Inagua.
Britain sending £2.5 million to Jamaica
The UK government has announced it will be providing £2.5m to support Jamaica in its relief efforts.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Specialist rapid deployment teams have also been positioned in the region to provide consular assistance round the clock to British nationals affected by the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.”
Thousands face being stranded 'for weeks'
Thousands of Britons face being “stranded for weeks” in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa tore through the island - ripping roofs from homes, flooding streets and leaving entire communities cut off from the outside world.
At least 25,000 tourists are believed to be on the island, including up to eight thousand British holidaymakers who travelled during the half-term break.
Many tourists remain trapped in hotels and resorts along the island’s battered southern coastline. Flights have been grounded, airports are closed, and ports are inaccessible due to debris and flooding.
Despite the disruption, Jamaica’s information minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon has said the government is working to get airports operational again, and hopes to get the Norman Manley Airport – near Kingston – running again on Thursday.
Hurricane Melissa smashes into Cuba at 120mph amid huge floods
Hurricane Melissa has slammed into southeast Cuba as winds reached a devastating 120mph - sending "life-threatening" debris flying through the air and leading to flash flooding in many areas.
Explaining how the hurricane unfolded over the Caribbean nation this afternoon, AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said: “Melissa was able to regain some of its strength overnight as it left Jamaica and crossed the warm waters of the Caribbean before its second destructive landfall in Cuba.
"The storm surge that pushed into some of the bays and beaches may have reached 10-15 feet.
He added that the storm "lost wind intensity" as it interacted with the mountains of southeast Cuba, triggering huge rainfall that caused "life-threatening flooding and mudslides".
'It was like a horror movie that lasted for over 12 hours'
Madge, 59, described enduring the storm from her residence in rural St Catherine in Jamaica in the early hours of the morning.
She told the Mirror that at around 11 in the morning, the storm turned into a “monster” - and spoke of the harrowing sound and damage to her local community.
Madge said: “The wind was an introduction to the storm.
“We started feeling the effect of the wind at 3 in the morning.
“Even though it felt windy for the entire day at around 11am it turned into a monster. It was real boisterous.
“You could hear the whispering, the howling, the chirpsing and the banging of the wind.
“It was like a horror movie that lasted for over 12 hours.”
Footage shows total devastation in Jamaica as 'biblical' winds hit
Terrifying new footage shows the incredible force of Hurricane Melissa as 'biblical' winds battered thousands of homes in Jamaica.
The clip, shared by Ground Force Humanitarian Aid on Facebook, has been viewed more than 911,000 times as the world watches one of the most powerful storms in history strike the island.
Ferocious winds can be seen bettering a coastal community in the video with hurricane gales tearing through streets and hurling debris through the air.
The video shows cars and homes being swallowed by floodwaters as locals wade through chest-deep storm surges while the hurricane continues to rage.
Read more: Hurricane Melissa tears through Jamaica as terrifying footage shows total devastation
Planes being used to evacuate people in Bahamas
Authorities in the Bahamas are evacuating dozens of people in the southeast on the archipelago as Hurricane Melissa approaches the island.
“We’ve had about five flights so far,” said Alex Storr, executive chairman of the Bahamas’ Disaster Management Authority.
He said officials expect at least four more flights later today.
Melissa is expected to hit the southeast Bahamas in the next few hours, where it could bring up to 7 feet (two metres) of storm surge flooding.
It has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, but continues to grow in size.
King Charles 'profoundly saddened' by impact of hurricane on Jamaica
Buckingham Palace has issued a statement on behalf of the King and Queen Camilla this evening, offering their condolences to the people of Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.
It reads: "My wife and I have been deeply concerned and profoundly saddened to see the catastrophic damage caused by the ferocity of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.
"As we continue to follow the situation closely, our anxious thoughts are with all those who have been so cruelly affected by this awful storm.
"Above all, our most heartfelt sympathy is with the families, friends and loved ones of those who have tragically lost their lives."
The King said he has held "the greatest affection" for Jamaica since his first visit to the island while serving in the Royal Navy on the West Indies station more than 50 years ago.
"I know that no disaster can break her people's enduring spirit of strength, solidarity and steadfastness", he added.
Map of storm's path as 'catastrophic' Melissa continues to batter all before it
Massive evacuations are continuing for countries in the path of “catastrophic” Hurricane Melissa as it continues to wreak death and devastation.
The hurricane has been grinding its way across Cuba today, weakening to a Category 2 storm, after pummelling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguin and Las Tunas provinces as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas.
Read more: Hurricane Melissa tracker update as 'catastrophic' storm continues to batter all before it
Remnants of Hurricane Melissa to bring rain to UK, says Met Office
The after-effects of Hurricane Melissa will bring some rain and high winds to parts of the northwestern British Isles towards the end of this weekend, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Tom Crabtree has said.
Current forecasts suggest this will be "fairly typical autumn-low pressure system" rather than a major storm, he added.
Into next week, it’s likely that the remnants of what will then be ex-Hurricane Melissa will influence the UK’s weather, though likely as a largely ‘business as usual’ system, as Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tom Crabtree explains.
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 29, 2025
More details in our PR:… pic.twitter.com/Q8oXF8Ngr7
At least 40 dead in Haiti
At least 40 people have died across Haiti, authorities have said.
Steven Aristil, from Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency, said 20 of those deaths were reported in the southern coastal town of Petit-Goâve, where another 10 remain missing after a river burst its banks.