Bay Area Jamaicans watch anxiously as Hurricane Melissa slams island

By Andrea Nakano

Hurricane Melissa is beginning to impact Jamaica, and some meteorologists say it may be the strongest hurricane to ever hit the country.

Although it’s about 3,000 miles away, people in the San Francisco Bay Area are feeling the impact, too, including the chef and partner of Sweet Finger Jamaican Restaurant in Oakland, Clive Barnes. 

“The resilience of Jamaica,” Barnes said, as to why he is confident the country will recover. “Jamaicans are really strong-minded people.”

Barnes was born and raised in Jamaica. He still has lots of connections to the island.

“I have family there,” Barnes stated. “Relatives, you know, uncles, cousins, aunties.”

He’s worried about all of his loved ones, as they start to feel the effects of Hurricane Melissa.

“I was just watching some videos of the rain and it’s looking bad,” Barnes explained. “I sent a text to my uncle’s wife. Just praying.”

He says that’s all they can do right now, but a response is already in the works.

“My partner and I are talking about putting some things together,” Barnes confirmed. “Wherever we can assist, we will.”

It’ll likely be a fundraiser at Sweet Finger, but for now, it’s a waiting game to see how bad it will get.

Minto, owner of Minto’s Jamaican Market in Oakland, knows the waiting game. He has experienced it himself. He lived in Jamaica when Hurricane Gilbert hit in September 1988.

He still vividly remembers it.

“It was quite a lot of damage from that one,” Minto recalled. “We go without electricity for a while, no food for a while, everything was devastated.”

He has friends and family still in Jamaica. He video called his sister, who could tell the worst was still to come.

“It’s very dark, it’s very cloudy,” his sister said on the phone. 

She panned the phone to her window, to show what it looked like outside her home, wet and dark, but still fairly calm.

Minto said he’s constantly reaching out to people on the island.  

“I’ve been touching base with my loved ones, and I encouraged them to stay safe,” Minto said. 

But both Minto and Barnes agreed, Jamaica can overcome whatever happens over the next few days and weeks.

“I have a lot of hope, a lot of confidence that Jamaica will rise again, will even be better and stronger than before,” Barnes stated.