Mark Jathan loves Jamaican food, culture and everything in between.
He even opened a restaurant to bring some of the island’s cuisines to Central Florida.
Now, the island he grew up on is facing a major hurricane.
“Our people down there they’re bracing for the worst and hoping for the best,” Jathan said.
Jathan said he is checking on his aunts, cousins and other relatives every couple of hours as the storm intensifies.
“They still have power. The winds are picking up. Some roofs have been blown off. There’s a bridge in Montego Bay. They say that it’s impossible. There’s some damage to the bridge already,” Jathan said.
Mark’s cousin, Misha Jae, who lives in Kingston, Jamaica, called in during our interview.
“More and more landslides are happening. Various places are becoming impassable. Port Royal is impassable. So people are actually going into the shelter,” said Jae.
Jae said everybody on the island has been doing what they can to prepare.
“I went to the supermarket yesterday; the lines were crazy. Things I’ve done is put duct tape on the windows and the doors stocking up on sandbags to prevent any flooding. We’re doing checkups on the roof, hoping that it stays intact,” said Jae.
“You said you were checking in on family. How is that going? The hurricane right now is passing east to west, so most of my family are in the west. Right now, they’re OK. I’ll be constantly checking in and hoping that they remain safe,” said Jae.
Jathan said that after the storm, they’ll need tents, generators, non-perishable food items and more.
Once the storm clears, he’s planning on collecting items to send to Jamaica to help victims recover.
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