KINGSTON, Jamaica — When Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Tuesday afternoon in Jamaica, Carol Archer said she was in the St. Andrew Parish in Kingston, where it had been raining heavily since Monday night.
Archer, a University of Technology, Jamaica professor who earned a doctorate from the City University of New York, said Kingston was feeling the force of the storm’s winds.
“I have never experienced these gusts,” Archer said, later adding that Jamaicans are going to have to look at how to build back urban spaces after the hurricane.
Archer, whose research focuses on urban planning and transportation, said Black River, the capital of St. Elizabeth Parish, in southwestern Jamaica, has been devastated.
“It’s important to note, as well, that the parish of St. Elizabeth, we refer to it as one of our breadbaskets. That’s where most of the food comes to feed us here,” said Archer, who also earned degrees from the University at Albany and State University of New York at Binghamton.
Archer said educational institutions closed on Thursday, and people had time to prepare. She said she was concerned about transportation problems and the hospitality industry in Montego Bay.
“Here in Jamaica, we rely heavily on tourism. When you look at the transportation network ... the Sangster International Airport is our major hub to the U.S.,” Archer said, adding she was grateful for the generosity of the Caribbean diaspora in South Florida.
More on Tuesday’s hurricane coverage
- Hurricane Melissa challenges hospitality industry entrepreneur in Jamaica
- Tourists hunker down in Jamaican hotels during Hurricane Melissa
- Reporting from Montego Bay
- Local 10 News Weather Authority updates
- Here is how to help from South Florida
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