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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Hurricane Melissa has left a path of devastation across the Caribbean, slamming Jamaica as a Category 5 storm — the strongest hurricane the island has ever recorded. Officials in Jamaica have confirmed 19 deaths, with the government warning that the death toll could continue to rise as crews search through hard-hit areas. The storm also cut across several other islands including Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. According to the Associated Press, 30 people have been confirmed dead in Haiti, while 20 others remain missing. In contrast, no death were reported in eastern Cuba, where the Civil Defense evacuated more than 735,000 residents ahead of the storm. By Thursday, residents were beginning to cautiously return to their homes as cleanup and recovery efforts got underway. For two Jamaican business owners in living abroad in Mid-Missouri, the images of their homeland underwater and torn apart by wind are more than news, they’re personal. Nearly three decades ago Rex Roy Scott, Co-Owner of Jamaican Jerk Hut and Winston Osbourne, employee at Jamaican Jerk Hut moved to the United States. “We’re loving, very, very caring for each other and we take family very seriously,” said Scott as he reflects what his country represents. That deep bond with his home has made the destruction of Hurricane Melissa especially hard to process. “Emotionally, it’s crushing,” Scott said. Winston said he still has family over in Jamaica that experienced some of the storm, but luckily they are okay. “I’ve got two sisters, a brother down there, some nephews — but everybody’s all right,” Osbourne said, adding that his family was lucky compared to many others who lost everything. Relief operations have been in full swing since Thursday. Emergency flights have landed across Jamaica and neighboring islands, delivering food, medicine, water, and essential supplies to communities cut off by flooding and debris. Local officials said crews are working around the clock to restore electricity and reopen major roads blocked by fallen trees and power lines. As of Thursday, more than 13,000 residents remained in emergency shelters, and nearly 72% of Jamaica was still without power. The Jamaica Public Service Company reported Friday morning that more than 462,000 customers were still in the dark, one of the largest power outages in the nation’s history. “It’s very difficult to see people that you share so much in common with going through such devastation that you never thought you’d ever see happen in your lifetime,” Scott said. For many Jamaicans, Hurricane Melissa brings back memories of Hurricane Gilbert, which struck in 1988 as a Category 3 storm. “Yeah, I experienced Gilbert,” Osbourne said. Osbourne recalls hurricanes in Jamaica as moments of both fear and familiarity — times when the island braced for impact, yet found comfort in its culture and spirit. “I was out running around in the rain up and down because that’s what Jamaicans do,” Osbourne said. “We bolted up the windows and doors and then go out and watch it, but I don’t think nobody did this time because it was much more.” That sense of excitement before a storm is something Rex Roy Scott also remembers vividly. He was just 12 years old when Hurricane Gilbert struck in 1988, and like many kids, he was curious and eager to experience what the older generations talked about. "As a child I wanted the hurricane to come because the elders used to talk about the ones from the 1960's and 1980's," Scott said. "But after it came, I wished I never saw another like it." Now, watching footage of Hurricane Melissa’s destruction, Scott said the scenes feel painfully familiar almost like reliving his childhood. “Immediately after it was devastation. There were trees down. There was nothing to keep anything cold," Scott said. "The real problems came a week, two weeks after that, we went prolonged without electricity and inaccessibility to services that you need." Even with the immense loss and uncertainty left behind, both Scott and Osbourne said the heart of Jamaica remains unbroken.
