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Beryl strands family in Jamaica
An Atlanta family's vacation to Jamaica turned into a nightmare after Hurricane Beryl rolled through, stranding them on the island. Now they're stuck at their resort with no power, and facing thousands in extra charges.
An Atlanta family’s dream vacation has turned into a nightmare after Hurricane Beryl stormed through Jamaica during their stay.
"They’re depressed, my kids are depressed," said Atlanta mom Tawanda Jones.
She and five of her family members have been staying at the Jewel Grande resort in Montego Bay. Now they’ve been stranded in Jamaica by Beryl. Jones took video of flooding on their hotel room balcony as the storm barreled through the island Wednesday. And their resort has been without power ever since.
"It’s like 80 to 90 degrees in [our] room, and it’s scorching hot. Your nose is sweating, everything is sweating," Jones said.
She says they’ve tried to leave the windows open to cool off the room, but mosquitoes then swarm inside.
"So we’re getting ate up, I tried to do that last night and I got so many bites on my legs, so I’m not doing that tonight, I’m not gonna do it," Jones said.
She also shared video with us of a pitch black hotel room once the sun went down.
The family was supposed to fly back on July 4th, but Delta Air Lines canceled their flight and said the soonest they could rebook them was on Monday.
"And I told her I’m a registered nurse. I can't be off of work this long and not be able to go back, and we have a special needs daughter with cerebral palsy and deaf, and we left her with someone to watch her while we were gone. And they have to go back to work," Jones said.
To make matters worse, she says the resort is trying to charge them for the extra days they’re staying there.
"$176 per person and there’s six of us," Jones said.
Jones feels she’s almost at her wit’s end.
"I didn’t budget that in…and the kids have nothing to do, and I’m worried about what they’re gonna be charging me in the end, I just can’t," Jones said.
She said she’s still working to get an earlier flight back.