ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Jamaica could be dealing with its strongest hurricane ever.
Hurricane Melissa barrels toward the Jamaican coast, and that barrel is pointed directly at Trelawny Parish.
It’s Marsden Palmer’s hometown.
Palmer is the executive chef at Mikey’s Caribbean Restaurant in Allentown.
He came to the U.S. four years ago. As a boy, he survived Hurricane Gilbert, a Category 3 hurricane as it crossed his island. The storm killed 145 people and destroyed 100,000 homes.
“Witnessing that was really, really terrifying,” remembered Palmer. “Because it came in the night.”
Palmer says he still has dozens of relatives in Jamaica in the direct path of Hurricane Melissa, including his father and his mother.
“I’m feeling good. I’m preparing myself. Taking all the necessary precautions,” said Donna Palmer, from Jamaica, while she FaceTimed with her son at his restaurant.
The projected track will take the storm west of the capital city of Kingston, where the city’s mayor expects storm surge of up to 13 feet.
“We have never had a Cat 4 or 5 before. It’s going to be huge,” said Mayor Andrew Swaby.
Kingston will avert a direct hit, but the storm is expected to unleash flash flooding and mudslides through Central Jamaica and over Trelawny Parish, where Palmer’s family is preparing and praying.
“To be as safe as possible and just pray that we get through this one,” Marsden Palmer said.