Hurricane Melissa is barreling towards Jamaica as a strong Category 5 storm and is expected to make landfall on Tuesday morning, devastating the island.
Tampa has a large Caribbean community, so many residents are watching the storm closely and speaking with loved ones who are bracing for impact.
Andrew Ashmeade owns four Jerk Hut restaurants in Tampa. He just visited his family in Jamaica last week and said a storm was the last thing on his mind.
“I was admiring the beauty of the island and I was just thinking how much I miss being there,” Ashmeade said. “We just want to pray that we don’t get a direct hit from this major storm.”
Many towns along Jamaica's southern coast reported power outages as winds picked up Sunday night. Ashmeade’s sister lost power well before Melissa made landfall.
Joshua Shirley is with the Jamaican Alliance Movement at USF. He is from Jamaica and also has family still living there. He said he can’t imagine the damage they might suffer.
“We’ve never seen a hurricane or disaster of this caliber and I do think the recovery process will be difficult,“ said Shirley. “That’s why we’re reliant on the support of people from other countries that can really make an impact.”
Shirley has started a GoFundMe page to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Melissa.
“A simple $5 donation or what you spend on a coffee could really change lives of people; could really have an impact that's bigger than life,” said Shirley
Jamaica has not seen a direct landfall of a hurricane over a Category 3. Melissa is expected to strike with the strongest winds ever recorded on the Caribbean island.
The National Hurricane Center said, as of Monday afternoon, the storm had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph.
Areas of eastern Jamaica could see up to 30 inches of rain and western Haiti could get around 16 inches.
Melissa’s effects are predicted to leave a long-term impact similar to historic hurricanes like Katrina and Sandy, washing away roads, knocking out electricity and destroying homes, meteorologists said.
“I want the people of Tampa to know that this isn't the typical hurricane and to really pray for the people of Jamaica,” Shirley said.
The Associated Press reports Melissa has already caused six deaths in the Caribbean as of Monday — three in Haiti, one in the Dominican Republic and two in Jamaica.
U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm was centered 140 miles southwest of the Jamaican capital of Kingston on Monday afternoon.
The hurricane is moving northwest at the slow speed of 3 miles per hour, which is expected to lengthen landfall and cause worse damage from strong winds and pockets of flooding rain.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for seven flood-prone areas in Jamaica, with buses taking people to shelters.
Melissa is expected to hit eastern Cuba later Tuesday, with up to 20 inches of rain forecast for parts of the island.
