Tag: hurricane melissa live

CHICAGO (WLS) — Jamaicans told ABC7 they have seen hurricanes before, but they have never been the direct target of the eye of a storm in their lifetime. But, they say, they have recovered before, and they will recover again.

“Oh, the wind is picking up so bad!” said Danielle Strachan, who lives in Jamaica.

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Strachan is sitting in the front row to the devastation in the country she calls home.

“Utter disbelief, a Category 5? Category 3, maybe Category 2, but a Category 5 in this country, everybody’s in shock,” Strachan said.

Fortunately, her home in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is not sitting directly in the flood zones of Hurricane Melissa, but her aunt’s home is.

“I’m a bit worried about her. I haven’t heard from her, and I don’t know what’s going on down there,” Strachan said. “I’ve gotten more information from my family abroad than I’ve gotten here.”

Strachan’s family in Chicago is among many that are watching and waiting to hear if their loved ones are OK.

DePaul University student Taja Bryan last heard from her father, who lives in Jamaica, on Monday morning.

“It’s a lot of anxiety. I just wish I can know how they were doing, but I truly like I said, I can’t get in contact with them, so that’s just something I can… it’s out of my control, unfortunately,” Bryan said.

Her father and other relatives live in a mountainous region prone to mudslides in homes not built for extreme weather.

“It’s huts. It’s not like, you know, brick stone buildings like this, so it’s like if mudslides occur and extreme winds and heavy rainfall occurs, they don’t have anywhere to protect themselves,” Bryan said.

Meanwhile, the Jamaican Consulate is preparing to provide the resources needed.

“We’re really concerned about the overall infrastructure, hospitals and power to hospitals and to schools and to other institutions,” said Honorary Consul to Jamaica Lester Barclay.

Barclay says their phones have been ringing off the hook. They are asking for things like generators, water, and clothing to be donated.

As aid is pouring in, others are trying to get out. In an interview with ABC7’s Samantha Chatman, a woman from Romeoville, who is struck abroad with her husband, says there is no leaving.

“I’m trying to let everybody know back from home that we are here and we are stranded. But I hope that we have the opportunity to get home as soon as possible,” said Andrews, who traveled to Jamaica for a wedding.

The damaging winds and flooding rains unleashed by Melissa are like nothing Mark and Jatonya Harris have experienced before.

“The trees were bending almost over to the ground. A couple of them I don’t think are going to survive,” Jatonya said. “I have never seen anything like this, ever, and I hope never to do again.”

The couple from south suburban Matteson is in Montego Bay for their 41st wedding anniversary, and with the storm raging outside, they pushed their hotel couch against the window and have been sleeping in the bathroom.

“It’s almost like, is this really happening? Is this really happening?” Jatonya said. “I never thought, like, when we were moving the couch over, like this is wild.”

The Harris’ do not know when they will make it home, but they are more concerned about the locals.

“I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring,” Jatonya said. “I’m praying for the people of Jamaica. This is a horrible, horrible thing that is happening.”

But Jamaicans told ABC7 they have weathered bad storms before, and the country’s resilience and beauty always triumphs.

“After this is done, we’ll come back stronger,” Strachan said. “Put it on your bucket list. If you haven’t been here, you cannot die and not see Jamaica.”

The Jamaican Consulate for Chicago and Midwest says monetary donations are the most helpful but will create a drop-off location for physical items.