Hurricane Melissa: LI's Jamaican community worries, prays as monster storm roars across Caribbean

Even before Hurricane Melissa struck the shores of Jamaica on Tuesday, Sandra McCarty knew all too well the carnage that a natural disaster could leave behind on the Caribbean island.

McCarty, a real estate agent from Freeport, was living in Jamaica when Hurricane Gilbert made landfall in 1988, killing at least 45 people and causing almost $3 billion in damage.

In its aftermath, the island had a "challenging six to 12 months to recover," with widespread road blockages and power outages, McCarty said.

But McCarty believes Melissa, one of the strongest storms on record, is "going to be even more devastating. And, I am very, very concerned and a little fearful and filled with a bit of trepidation as I wait to hear what happens."

'A catastrophic situation'

Melissa made landfall on Jamaica's southwestern coast around midday Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 185 mph, making it the strongest hurricane of the Atlantic season to date and the most powerful hurricane to ever hit the island.

The storm has since weakened to a Category 3, with sustained winds of 125 mph as it headed for Cuba. But it left massive devastation in its wake, including far-reaching power outages, downed trees, damaged buildings, flash flooding and landslides.

McCarty, a secretary with Caribbean Business Connections, a networking organization, has been in regular contact with siblings and other relatives on the island using WhatsApp, an encrypted messaging service. She said they've gotten supplies and are focusing on making it through the hurricane.

"They are prepared — mentally, physically and emotionally — as best they can," she said.

Melissa, which is expected to slice diagonally across the island, then head for Cuba and then the southeastern Bahamas, is the fifth-most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record.

The storm is not expected to directly impact the United States, but hazardous sea conditions and high rip currents are possible in southern Florida next week, according to meteorologists.

The storm already is being blamed for at least seven deaths in the Caribbean: three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.

"Isolated rainfall totals could be as high as 40 inches in locations, producing catastrophic, life-threatening flooding, numerous landslides in these areas," said Mike Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center in a social media post Tuesday. "So just a catastrophic situation playing out here for Jamaica."

Long Islanders prepares to help

There are nearly 24,000 native-born Jamaicans living on Long Island, according to the 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A large portion of the more than 16,000 Jamaicans in Nassau County reside in the 22nd District, represented by Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont).

"Families are trying to assess what the needs are," Solages, who is of Haitian descent, said Tuesday afternoon. "But the difficult thing about relief efforts in the Caribbean is the time it takes for items, such as water or generators, to reach them."

Christopher Gosley, Solages' legislative aide and scheduler, has close friends and family in Jamaica, many performing relief work for the Lunan Educational Advancement & Development Corp., a Queens-based nonprofit focused on improving educational opportunities across Jamaica. The group is soliciting donations for the relief effort.

"I'm very concerned," said Gosley, who is of Jamaican descent and visits the island every Christmas to distribute toys. "I am not sure the extent of the damage."

Legis. Carrié Solages (D-Elmont), the assemblywoman's brother, along with the Floral Park-based nonprofit True Tribute Organization, have announced plans to launch an emergency supply and fundraising campaign Wednesday at Nolan’s Cuisine, a Jamaican restaurant in Elmont.

Gian-George "Gio" Graham, an owner of The Foood Spot, a Jamaican restaurant in Dix Hills, said the hurricane has left him worried.

"It’s a scary thing," Graham said Tuesday. "It’s not like a quick storm just blowing over."

Graham, who was born in the United States but has many relatives in Jamaica, said he's been keeping tabs on family members using WhatsApp.

"Everybody's just praying pretty much, because we don't know what it's going to do," Graham said.

Horace Davis, president of the Caribbean American Society of New York, a statewide organization based in Rosedale, Queens, said the restoration effort will be extensive.

"This island has experienced hurricanes in the past, but it's never been anything like this," said Davis, who has aunts, uncles and in-laws that live in the island's capital city of Kingston. ... "The island has not seen a storm of this magnitude ever."

Neville Dewar, owner of Jerk Kingz, a Caribbean restaurant in Baldwin, has been keeping up with the storm in Jamaican media.

Dewar, who is of Jamaican heritage and has several cousins on the island, said he hopes that his loved ones hold on tightly to their faith.

"Just keep praying," he said, "and hopefully everybody and hopefully ... everything will be all right." 

Newsday’s Olivia Winslow contributed to this story.