[ad_1]
JAMAICA (WABC) — A family from Long Island, who owns a resort in Jamaica, is racing against time to prepare for Hurricane Melissa, a storm forecasted to have a catastrophic impact on the Caribbean island.
Freeport, Long Island native Winthrop Wellington is running out of time to protect his family-owned beach resort, and its 30 stranded hotel guests and staff along the famous seven-mile beach in Negril, Jamaica.
Wellington is the owner of Travellers Beach Resort.
“I have an eerie feeling that it was going to change Jamaica forever,” he said.
Melissa, a historic Category 5 hurricane, will soon make landfall, with Negril in its bullseye.
“We don’t know how long the power’s going to be out because the power’s going to go out,” Wellington said. “There’s no question about that. I don’t know if we’re going to have enough water. We don’t know what the roads are going to be like.”
RELATED | Jamaicans in Brooklyn pray for safety of relatives impacted by Melissa
Kemberly Richardson and Meteorologist Lee Goldberg has the latest.
Born and raised on Long Island, Wellington and his two younger brothers grew up in Freeport.
Their dad slowly built Travellers Beach Resort, handing Wellington the keys after graduating from college.
“These are wooden structures with zinc roofing, so these are the original structures that we had here that my dad started the resort with,” he said.
“I feel more confident at being here at Travellers than if I were to stay where I was living,” said Brooklyn native Kenya Wagstaff.
Wagstaff spoke to Eyewitness News from the resort lobby.
Wagstaff recently moved to Jamaica, a lower-lying area.
Melissa will be Wagstaff’s first hurricane.
“I feel like yeah, this is a real situation that I’m about to be experiencing and I don’t want to do it without some support so here I am,” Wagstaff said.
“Once landfall is made, everybody is going to stay exactly where they are. I’m expecting this to be an extremely violent experience,” Wellington said. “I am scared. I’m scared for Jamaica. You know, I don’t know what this is going to turn out to be.”
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
[ad_2]
Chanteé Lans
Source link