Dear Editor,

As Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica with terrifying force, many Antiguans and Barbudans are rightly asking one question: Why weren’t our students evacuated before the storm reached this point?

Several other Caribbean islands, like St Kitts and Nevis, flew their students home.

We’ve known for days that Melissa was intensifying into a monster system, packing winds near 200 miles per hour and threatening catastrophic damage. Yet our students remain in harm’s way, huddled in a hotel room, hoping for the best while the storm creeps closer inch by inch.

I commend the government for securing accommodation at the Pegasus Hotel, but that’s a temporary fix, not a long-term safety plan. What happens if the power fails, the roads flood, or communication lines go down? What if the airport shuts down for an extended period? Have we mapped out how and when these students will be brought home once the storm passes?

Evacuation isn’t just about reacting; it’s about anticipating. With ample warning and modern forecasting tools, could we not have arranged for at least some of them to return home before the island went under hurricane warning? It feels like we’re watching the situation unfold instead of staying two steps ahead.

These are our young people, sons, daughters, future leaders, and their safety must come first. I sincerely hope that once the storm clears, concrete plans are made to either bring them home safely or ensure they’re secure and supported for the duration of this crisis.

Concerned Citizen, Antigua and Barbuda