AN EDEN man who was stranded on a Caribbean island in the grip of lawlessness and looting following Hurricane Irma has escaped the devastation safely.

Jos Smart, from Kirkby Stephen, and his girlfriend Julia Taylor, survived the Category Five storm by seeking refuge in a windowless hotel bathroom on St Maarten. They were without water, electricity or sanitation for days.

Their situation was getting desperate as bottled water started to run out, but the pair made it to the safety of the USA on Tuesday night with help from friends.

The 26-year-old’s father, Kirkby Stephen architect Ian Smart, said he felt the couple had been abandoned by the Government.

“Their escape was privately organised with no Foreign Office involvement, although on a personal level Eden MP Rory Stewart has been on the phone daily. We have had no contact from the Foreign Office. It is disgraceful.”

Wind speeds of up to 175mph from the storm brought nearly one third of the buildings in the Dutch-ruled section of the island to the ground.

It has been placed under curfew to try to restore order as robbers run riot.

Jos, a former Kirkby Stephen Grammar School pupil, is a qualified yachtmaster and diving instructor. He has helped local crews who have seen their boats ruined.

Ian said: “I think the amount of looting that is going on has upset him. Jos’ first worry when the hurricane struck was about how everybody would go feral because of the state they would find themselves in.

“A lot of the locals out there have absolutely nothing now.”

Jos and Julia, aged 30, were living aboard a 79ft yacht on the idyllic island as the storm approached. They had been unable to escape and claimed the Foreign Office was prioritising rescuing people from British territories first.

They told their families that ‘the lawlessness was getting worse’ as looters took hold.

Local MP Mr Stewart was offering advice and was in contact within 24 hours of them appealing to him – but aid from the Government remained absent.

Mr Smart said before they were rescued: “They can see the airport and they know that evacuations are happening but they are keeping their heads down because of the lawlessness and looting.

“They have spent the last two years out there and they have got a lot of friends around the British Virgin Islands. I think they will be absolutely devastated when they see the extent of what’s happened.”

Mr Stewart said before the turn of events on Tuesday: “It is a really tough situation for Jos and Julia. It is a horrendous place to be.

“We are working with the Dutch and the US. I know that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has personally rung the Dutch Prime Minister and raised Jos’ case specifically to get it prioritised.

“There are troops in St Maarten and peace is being restored. Jos has been through an awful time and it is key that we sit down and try to learn from this.”

Jos and Julia were scheduled to travel to England for a holiday yesterday (Thursday 13) before they arranged their flight to America.

However, not everybody with a Cumbrian connection has managed to make it off St Maarten.

The situation remains tough for the stepson of Grayrigg’s Angela Gray-Lake, who is still uncertain when he will be able to leave the island.

Nathan Lake lives on St Maarten with his wife and children, who are five and one.

Mrs Gray-Lake is uncertain whether Nathan, employed on the island’s telecommunications, will be required to stay on to help get the phones running again.

She said: “The place they were living in is scattered all around the island, except for the walls. They were staying with people they knew who had a hotel.

“He has got his wife and the little ones on a list to be evacuated with the Dutch, but he is working there still and very worried.

“He would obviously like to get off the island, but we don’t know whether he will be able to.”

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We have been in regular contact with the Dutch and the Americans since the onset of this crisis to co-ordinate our response and help for all those affected.

“We understand that evacuation is based on individual need rather than nationality, with the most vulnerable prioritised first. It is not due to the lack any of arrangements.”