Norfolk family stuck in Jamaica after Hurricane Beryl

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Most of Jamaica is without power after Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean, and a Norfolk family is stuck on the island after being temporarily evacuated from their hotel.

What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation in Montego Bay turned into quite the opposite for Norfolk resident Jason Gunning and his family. First, they were evacuated from their hotel to the convention center during the hurricane.

“By the time we got back to the room, got it dry to the point where we could lay down and go to sleep and you start getting alerts that you don’t have a way home and you’re not even sure when you’re going to get home,” Gunning told 10 On Your Side. “It’s pretty scary.”

Then, their flights home on the fourth of July were canceled.

“We spent all night trying to get American Airlines on the phone, and their phone lines were down for a while,” Gunning said.

When Gunning finally got ahold of the airline, he was told the first flight back home would not leave until Monday.

“I don’t know if it’s a function of the airport just isn’t servicing anybody, because we don’t know what else is going on around the island,” Gunning said. “Some of the staff are saying they don’t have any electricity, they don’t have any power. A lot of the restaurants are shut down, so I’m pretty sure other parts of the island are in bad shape.”

In the meantime, Gunning is trying to look to the bright side and is sharing his experience to caution others to be prepared when traveling outside of the United States.

“Prepare for an extra week if you’re going out of the country because you’re just at the whim of whatever they’re doing, its not like the [United] States,” Gunning said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to get stuck. It’s a learning lesson for me for sure.”

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