NEW YORK — It’s the strongest hurricane ever to strike Jamaica. Category 5 Hurricane Melissa roared ashore with winds so fierce they ripped through homes, uprooted trees, and left the island in darkness.
For the 300 Filipinos living and working there, fear and faith have become their only anchors.
One of them is Mimi Ignacio, who has called Kingston home for the past 30 years. In an interview with GMA Integrated News before the storm made landfall, she said this is the most powerful hurricane her family has ever experienced.
“We’ve prepared food that’s good enough for a couple of weeks,” she shared. “Those living in low-lying areas have been moved to shelters — there are over 800 shelters here. The government is very active.”
Despite the chaos, a strong sense of bayanihan remains. Ignacio said Philippine Honorary Consul Keith Russel has opened his doors to fellow Filipinos seeking safety.
“Our honorary consul called me yesterday and asked me to tell everybody that he’s opening his home to Filipinos who need shelter,” she said.
Most Filipinos in Jamaica work in hotels, many of them in Kingston — one of the safer zones inland.
“I think they are safe,” Ignacio added. “The majority of Filipinos are in Kingston.”
But for others closer to the storm’s eye, the reality is harsher.
Chef Alvin Miraflores, based in Freeport, Montego Bay, described terrifying conditions as Hurricane Melissa struck head-on.
“We’ve lost electricity,” he reported. “We can’t go out. I’m with three other Filipinos here at the villa, and we’re just trying to stay calm.”
In the videos he sent before communication lines were cut, massive trees could be seen bending violently under the fury of Melissa’s winds — a haunting sight of nature’s raw power.
The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. is now closely monitoring the situation. So far, there have been no reports of Filipino casualties or injuries, a glimmer of relief amid the chaos.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, about 62 kilometers south of Montego Bay, packing maximum winds of 185 mph (295 kph) — a Category 5 monster.
By late Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an urgent warning, describing the situation as “extremely dangerous and life-threatening.”
The storm has unleashed catastrophic winds, flash floods, and massive storm surges, leaving authorities pleading with residents to stay indoors and avoid any attempt to venture out.
In Jamaica, people huddle in shelters, praying for the storm to pass. In Cuba and the Bahamas, preparations continue as the monstrous hurricane barrels toward them next.
For now, all the Filipinos can do is wait — holding on to faith, to hope, and to the promise that the storm, no matter how strong, will eventually fade.
