Belizean Students Plead for Help as Hurricane Melissa Nears

Hurricane Melissa is roaring toward Jamaica as a Category Five monster, the strongest storm the island has ever faced. Heavy rains, fierce winds, and the rush for supplies have everyone on edge. But here’s what hits close to home, among those bracing for impact are dozens of Belizean students studying in Jamaica. Some of them say they feel abandoned, left to fend for themselves at a time when support matters most. Today, we checked in with a few of those students to hear how they’re preparing and what more can be done to keep them safe. News Five’s Britney Gordon has that story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

As Hurricane Melissa barrels toward Jamaica as a Category Five powerhouse, the fear is real and for one Belizean mother studying there, the frustration is just as strong. On Sunday, she took to social media with an emotional plea, saying she feels abandoned by her country. She writes, quote “I am drowning in tears, my fingers trembling as I type this message. My beloved BPD, my government of Belize, I love you deeply. I fly my flag high on my veranda, not just in September but every day of the year, because I truly love my country and my job. But where are you now, when I need you the most? Where?” She and her two children live off campus and have been begging for help to move to a safe shelter and gather supplies. So far, that help hasn’t come. And she’s not alone. Dozens of Belizean students in Jamaica are praying for the best as the storm approaches. One of them, Isareli Cal, a third-year law student at UWI, told us most of her support has come from the university itself.

 

Isareli Cal, Belizean Studying in Jamaica

“The hall has been amazing in preparing. They’ve cut down multiple trees, they’ve boarded up the windows. They’ve removed all like metals and everything that was on the ground so nothing could fly. They cleared the parking lots. They’ve done a lot of preparing for it. They’ve also given us care packages with water and such up here. So they really have been trying to make us comfortable here. Not all the Jamaicans left to go home ’cause some of them couldn’t. So I’m not alone. I’m with my roommate.”

 

 

 

Cal received a box of bread, water, and canned food, but that wasn’t enough. She made two trips to the store to stock up on supplies that could last for weeks. And she’s not alone in this effort. The National Students’ Union of Belize has stepped in, launching fundraisers to support Belizeans on the island. NSUB President Tomas Serrut says that on Sunday, the union shared a registration form for those needing help, and the response was overwhelming. In just one day, more than fifty students signed up.

 

 

 

Tomas Serrut, President, National Students’ Union of Belize

“Our plan at this time is to raise between one hundred to three hundred per student with the support of different partners and businesses, and NSUB is taking it as a personal responsibility to stand with our fellow students and citizens in times of hardship, because if we don’t, then who will? And we’re calling on the public to support our efforts as we launch this initiative later today. And together we can show our students that they are not alone in this dire time.”

 

 

 

A hurricane kit is a lifeline during a Category Five storm when food, water, and electricity could be out of reach for days. Regional Representative of the Caribbean Commonwealth Student Association, Ashley Langford, has been coordinating with student organizations from across the Caribbean to see how it can assist with preparation efforts.

 

 

 

Ashley Langford, Caribbean Commonwealth Student Association

“Most of them just want supplies because it’s, we find it very difficult for students to get supplies such as like groceries, just certain. So that’s very hard for them. And that’s something that, the Commonwealth is looking at, like in the need of how we could assist them as much as we can here. Like how we could coordinate our efforts from the Commonwealth to assist them in that thing. So we’re just gathering as much data as we can from the student organizations.”

 

 

 

According to Cal, the Ministry of Education recently informed students that they will be receiving assistance following the hurricane. She explained that every student faces unique challenges during the storm and wished there was better communication to offer personalized assistance.

 

Isareli Cal

“Some of them do need more assistance than some of us, but for me, I think right now I am covered in terms of that thanks to my parents and family. So I do think that some of us do need it. But I am kind if, I wouldn’t say angry at the government, but it is like they did leave us alone here. Multiple of my friends from different countries across the region have gotten that help. And we were just waiting to see, of course, what would have happened.”

 

 

As Hurricane Melissa nears Jamaica, Belize’s Honorary Consul has opened her home to students needing shelter, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms all Belizeans are safe. Britney Gordon reporting for News Five.