Detroiters with family in Jamaica

Detroiters with family in Jamaica hope for the best

The hurricane brought winds with speeds nearly 200 miles per hour to the island - heavy rainfall causing major flooding.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Local families with ties to Jamaica are waiting and worrying as they contact loved ones impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

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"It's hard," said Sandra Reid Hutchinson, Island Spice Caribbean Restaurant manager. "I spoke to my son and he said 'Mommy I’m watching the roof, because the sound from the storm doesn’t sound good."

Chris Mitchell, the owner of Island Spice Caribbean restaurant in Detroit, hasn’t been able to connect with his family.

"No I haven’t had any contact with anyone, no contact," he said.

Many on the island have experienced power outages as Melissa made landfall in Jamaica Tuesday.

The hurricane brought winds with speeds nearly 200 miles per hour to the island - heavy rainfall causing major flooding.

"I spoke to my aunt last night, she lives in Commodore St. Catherine," said Sophia Chue. "She mentioned there’s a lot of flooding that is going on. She’s a little concerned about the roof."

Chue is with the Caribbean Community Service Center located in Metro Detroit and she says efforts will take place to get help to Jamaica.

"So there’s typically a fundraiser that's done, where everybody gets together to make sure we get the non-perishable items the food, the clothing, the money, those kinds of things to help our home country," she said.

"There’s a lot of rain. There’s a lot of breeze places are flooding out," Hutchinson said. "I spoke to one of my friends - one of the hospitals in Jamaica is flooded out."