British couples ‘abandoned’ as US citizens are taken to safety
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IT WAS the moment they thought salvation had come.
With Hurricane Irma wreaking apocalyptic devastation around them, the two British couples breathed a sigh of relief when they saw soldiers arrive in jeeps to rescue stranded holidaymakers from the ruins of their hotel.
But their relief turned to dismay when the troops refused to take them.
Liz Jackson, 33, a bank worker, and her partner Craig Guest, 34, from Barnsley, who are on the island of Saint Martin alongside a couple from Nottingham, said they now felt abandoned.
Ms Jackson’s brother Andrew yesterday told The Sunday Telegraph: “They were told they could not get in the jeeps as they were not US citizens and there was no arrangement with the British Government.”
Ms Jackson and Mr Guest had flown to the Caribbean for what they hoped would be an idyllic holiday. But when Irma’s 185mph winds hit on Wednesday, they devastated the Royal Palm Beach resort in Simpson Bay, ripping off the doors and windows to their apartments.
By yesterday morning, the two British couples had been left with just one bottle of water between them and no food or power. Outside the hotel, there were reports of looters being shot. British help is not expected to arrive until Monday, during which time a second hurricane, Jose, is expected to strike.
Ms Jackson and Mr Guest made their way to the devastated Princess Juliana airport, in the hope of catching a military flight off the island – only to be told again they were not eligible for evacuation. The couple filmed a Dutch official at the airport telling them: “We can only send through US citizens.”
Andrew Jackson said: “They are absolutely terrified. Why is the British government not helping them? Just to leave the four of them there is disgraceful. Where is their humanity to just abandon them? They are stuck at the airport with looters outside armed with machetes.”
The Foreign Office said it was trying to contact the two couples, but consular help is not expected to arrive on the island until Monday.
Elsewhere along Irma’s path, hundreds of Britons, expats and holidaymakers have been left stranded.
Among those who had waited desperately for news was Sarah Thompson, 38, whose husband Christian, 43, had stayed at their home on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands, with their dog and two friends. Late last night, Mr Thompson called his wife to say that the men were alive, despite the house being destroyed. The room the group had been sheltering in had withstood the force of the hurricane, while the rest of the house was obliterated.
Mrs Thompson said: “It’s worse than we could have imagined. Everything is decimated, but at least they’re alive.”
The Foreign Office said: “We urge British residents and visitors in the affected area to closely monitor Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice, and follow the instructions of local authorities. Those on holiday in affected areas should contact their tour operator or airline.”
‘Where is their humanity to just abandon them? They are stuck at the airport with looters outside’