BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – One Jericho family is trapped in Jamaica this week by Hurricane Melissa.
Across the Caribbean, at least 30 people are dead, buildings and roads are destroyed, and many airports are still closed, leaving people stranded.
That includes Meghan Foster and her family. They weathered the Category Five hurricane, and now that the storm has passed, they are trying to figure out how to get back to the Green Mountains.
Tuesday, October 21st, Meghan Foster and her family—husband Clay and daughter Maggie—hopped on a flight from Burlington to Jamaica for a tropical getaway. Little did she know, the same day, Tropical Storm Melissa became the 13th named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
“We were not aware of any storm,” said Foster.
However, she did become aware over the weekend when she saw island residents battening down the hatches.
“Slowly, things were getting boarded up. They started shutting down, like, the beach restaurants,” said Foster.
They were set to fly out this past Tuesday, the 28th. That’s when Category Five Hurricane Melissa came slamming down upon the island.
As it passed through, her family watched as it tore apart roads, homes, and pieces of the resort where the Fosters are staying. 185-mile-per-hour winds left a trail of devastation in their wake, and tourists were trying to figure out how to get out.
“There are about 200 of us kind of stranded at the resort,” said Foster.
She says the 20 hours she could not contact her family back home, after communications were knocked out, felt like an eternity.
“Actually, I think that was the worst part of it for me. We have two children who are 20 and 21 at home, both UVM students, and so, they were pretty terrified, and as a mom, I wanted them to know we were okay,” said Foster.
As she works to return to the safety of the Green Mountains, she says it is emotional looking around and seeing how many homes were lost.
“I think there is both a feeling of everyone wanting to get home and also just so much gratitude and appreciation for the ability to go home,” said Foster.
They have a tentative flight for Saturday to get home. They hope people here in Vermont will consider helping in any way they can to support the people of Jamaica as they rebuild.
