A FORMER Bingley man who has been working in the Caribbean as a chef has seen his home and workplace wrecked by Hurricane Maria.

The category five storm devastated Dominica where 48-year-old Flloyd Bell lives with his four children and grandson.

At least 27 people have died.

Mr Bell, formerly of Cottingley, where his mother Patricia still lives, has seen his house partially demolished leaving it unsafe and flooded with no roof, forcing him to sleep in his car.

The island has suffered extensive damage to buildings and roads.

The hotel and restaurant, Castle Comfort Lodge, near Roseau, were he is head chef has also been crushed by the hurricane.

“He has nowhere to stay, apart from his car. Few belongings and no place to work,” said his sister Yvonne Walker.

“We try to keep in touch regularly but the last time I spoke to him was about 1.40am on Monday. He said it was bad and that winds were reaching 160mph.

“No-one was ready for it because everyone was expecting a category two storm which they can cope with.”

“Dominica had already sent spare food and water supplies and a workforce including engineers and electricians to others area of the Caribbean which had been hit by Hurricane Irma because they didn’t expect this one to be so big.

“It means now their own island has been destroyed they have been left with no spare resources.”

She added: “Flloyd’s children, aged 22, 16, 11 and eight, and his grandson, three, live with his former partner in another small village on the island. I am not sure what state their home is in but my niece, Jahnaya, who is 16, has been able to find a power source, probably from a generator, so she can charge her phone and has been contacting us when she can.

“I know they are all safe but the conditions are terrible. None of them have eaten properly for days and their belongings are scattered around the island.

Mr Bell first went out to study to be a chef at college in Barbados when he was around 20. He later returned to work there and settled down.

Ms Walker said: “The Red Cross is there and supplies are being dropped in. There are two airports on the island and they are being cleared of debris. One is open for emergency use only because of the damage.

“I’m told the Foreign Office organised a rescue plane to pick up UK nationals but because all communication systems were down there was no way of letting everyone know so a lot didn’t know it was there. It was too soon.”

“I’ve been in touch with the UK Rapid Response team who have rung me every day and are trying to get me information about Flloyd because there is little or no communication.

“We set up a crowd funding page to try to raise money either to bring him and his children back to the UK because he has no home or work, or to help him rebuild his home out there.”

Both Mr Bell and his children have dual nationality passports, though there is an added complication in that Mr Bell’s passport needs renewing.

To donate go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/floydbellandfamily