By LEANDRA ROLLE 

and KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporters

A BAHAMIAN woman stranded in Jamaica has accused Bahamasair of abandoning passengers after cancelling flights with little notice, saying the airline failed to do enough to evacuate citizens before Hurricane Melissa struck.

The Abaco resident, a Hurricane Dorian survivor, said she was forced to relive the trauma of that storm while sheltering at the Dreams Rose Hall Resort & Spa in Montego Bay.

She was among dozens of Bahamians who travelled to Jamaica for the wedding of former Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield’s brother, but ended up trapped as the powerful storm made landfall. The group of about 50 residents from Abaco, Grand Bahama and New Providence had been scheduled to return home on Sunday aboard Bahamasair, but their flight was cancelled as the hurricane approached.

The airline announced the cancellation on its social media pages, saying further updates would follow. The Davis administration helped cover accommodations for some members of the group after several were unable to afford an extended stay.

“As a flag carrier, you let us down again,” the traveller said. “There’s so much more you could’ve done. How can you not come back for us without a valid explanation?”

Bahamasair officials did not respond to requests for comment up to press time yesterday.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category Five storm on Tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction across the island’s western region before weakening as it moved toward Cuba and The Bahamas.

The traveller described the ordeal as “a disaster”, saying she never imagined she would face such conditions again after Dorian. She said hotel staff advised guests to prepare overnight bags with essential items, documents and medication in case of evacuation.

However, chaos erupted when the roof collapsed in the resort’s dining area while guests were having lunch. Staff moved them to an area called the “cricket club”, but soon after, another evacuation was ordered when the smell of smoke filled the room after a wire caught fire.

“Everyone ended in panic mode,” the traveller said. “The floors were flooded. We had lost power and they was able to turn the generator on. We’re waiting to be connected to water,” she said.

The group remains uncertain when they will return home, as Jamaica’s main airports sustained significant damage during the storm.

Tourism Minister Chester Cooper said Bahamasair would resume flights once the all-clear is given and airports reopen. He added that the airline is expected to assist with post-storm recovery efforts once local authorities complete their assessments.

“We’ve been in touch with the group who travelled for a wedding. They are all well. They experienced difficult circumstances, but they are safe,” Mr Cooper said.

Bahamas Consul General in Kingston Alveta Knight told The Tribune that Jamaican authorities were still assessing the extent of the damage, with the parishes of St Elizabeth, Westmoreland and Manchester among the hardest hit.

“There’s emotional devastation, financial devastation, and of course destruction of property,” she said. “It wreaked havoc on nerves because it took so long to come, and people did not know what was coming or when.”

Ms Knight said there were no reports of injury or distress among Bahamians in Jamaica and that the consulate remained fully operational. She added that those wishing to send aid could do so through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in New Providence, which is coordinating regional relief efforts.

She thanked BTC and ALIV for providing phone credit to Bahamian students stranded during the storm.

“We are again showing as Bahamian people that we love everybody, embrace everybody and support everybody,” Ms Knight said.