MARGATE, Fla. — From his Donna’s Caribbean Restaurant in Margate, Karl Gordon was hungry for updates from Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 at about 1 p.m. Tuesday in New Hope.
The restaurateur treasures his childhood memories in Jamaica, which include hiding during Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Meteorologists describe this one as the strongest on record, and that worries Gordon.
“It’s my second home ... My mom is there, my step-father is there, my brothers and sisters,” Gordon said.
Melissa later weakened to a Category 4 by 5 p.m., but Montego Bay was enduring part of the hurricane’s eyewall. Kingston endured tropical storm force winds.
“I know the people of Jamaica are resilient,” Gordon said. “They will do their best to stay alive and help each other.”
More on Tuesday’s hurricane coverage
- Hurricane Melissa challenges hospitality industry entrepreneur in Jamaica
- Tourists hunker down in Jamaican hotels during Hurricane Melissa
- University professor on Hurricane Melissa in Kinsgton: ‘I have never experienced these gusts’
- Reporting from Montego Bay
- Local 10 News Weather Authority updates
- Here is how to help from South Florida
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