As Hurricane Melissa intensified Monday with sustained winds of 175 miles per hour, many in North Texas with loved ones in Jamaica braced for the worst.
In Arlington, Errol Byles spent much of his day on the phone trying to stay in contact with his sisters and friends still living on the island.
“I’m just very concerned, very worried about what’s about to happen,” Byles said. “It’s touching everyone. Everyone is feeling it.”
Melissa, expected to make landfall early Tuesday as a Category 5 or strong Category 4 storm, is on track to become the most powerful hurricane ever to strike Jamaica.
Byles co-owns Jamaica Gates, a Caribbean restaurant in Arlington that has served the community since 2008. The restaurant is often a gathering place for music, food and fellowship.
His mother, Barbara Allen, who recently retired as the restaurant’s executive chef, said she still remembers the devastation of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
“I remember when that came in the middle of the night, the sound of the wind and limb-cracking of the trees was very scary,” Allen said.
Byles, a teenager during Gilbert, said the storm changed his perspective on life in Jamaica.
“When you’re seeing it and seeing roofs taken off right next door to you, another one right next door to you, and then you look up at yours and it’s shaking, there’s nothing more horrific than that.”
Byles said he expects longtime customers will ask how they can help. He plans to stay in touch with contacts in Kingston and Portland to learn what support may be needed.
“We’ll try to figure out how we can set up different things to communicate and help in different communities as much as possible,” he said.
“At the end of the day, if something happens, anything that they need, we’re going be there to help them as well.”
Jamaica Gates will reopen for the week on Tuesday, with hours continuing through Sunday.