BY NEWSDAY STAFF Friday, October 26 2012

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CLEAN-UP OPERATIONS: Workers at the Hope Botanical Gardens in St Andrew, Jamaica, clear sections of the gardens after a huge Guango tree fell and bloc...

All 150 TT nationals studying at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus in Jamaica, are safe and have been accounted for, the Jamaica High Commission in Trinidad has reported.

The commission, according to a radio news report yesterday, stated the TT nationals were safe despite part of the roof of their residence hall on campus being torn off as Hurricane Sandy hit the island on Wednesday.

This news was also confirmed at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), St Clair, by Minister of Communications Jamal Mohammed.

“Word coming out of Jamaica is that our brothers and sisters in Jamaica went through a very terrible, traumatic situation with the Tropical Storm/Hurricane Sandy that has affected them over the past few hours,” he said. Regarding TT students in Jamaica, Mohammed said, “Word is that all is well, to the best of our knowledge, and all of the Trinidad and Tobago students who are in Jamaica at this time, word has reached us that they are all safe. Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters in Jamaica.”

He said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has been in touch with Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. “In case there is any need from the Government and people of Jamaica, we are in full conversation with the Prime Minister of Jamaica and we hope all is well with all of our brothers and sisters in Jamaica.”

The OPM also issued a statement expressing the Prime Minister’s sadness at news of two deaths in Jamaica.

“‘Our heartfelt prayers are with the people of Jamaica at this time,” stated Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar. “We are also very concerned about the well-being of our Caribbean brothers and sisters in Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas and will continue to monitor developments.”

The statement said Persad-Bissessar assured Simpson-Miller of TT’s readiness to assist our Caricom neighbour.

On Wednesday, Simpson Miller cut short a visit to Canada to return home to assess the damage and monitor rescue/clean-up operations, and said the hurricane could not come at a worst time for her country.

The hurricane yesterday ripped into Cuba and the Bahamas. Florida has been placed on tropical storm watch. See page 26A