Members of Waterloo region’s Caribbean association ‘anxious’ as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall
Members of Waterloo region’s Caribbean association say they are feeling anxious and optimistic as Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica Tuesday afternoon.
The Category 5 storm made landfall on the island’s southwestern coast shortly after 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
The south coast and the west part of the island bore the brunt of the storm as winds topped 295 km/h. As of 2 p.m. on Tuesday more than 350,000 customers were without power.
Lannois Carrol-Woolery, president of the Canadian Caribbean Association of Waterloo Region, said many of the association’s members are from Jamaica and staff have been checking in on one another and their families on the island through WhatsApp and social media.
“Like me, they are anxious and many of them also remember Hurricane Gilbert directly or indirectly so they know that their families know how to prepare, but the truth is, this is just an epic storm,” Carrol-Woolery told CBC News an hour before Hurricane Melissa made landfall.
“Most people are just listening for word from their friends and relatives on the island right now.”
Carrol-Woolery was born in Jamaica and came to Canada when he was 18. He said he still has many relatives, including a sister, living in Jamaica in the Kingston and Montego Bay areas.
Carrol-Woolery also has first-hand experience being in a hurricane. He said he was 17 years old when Hurricane Gilbert, a category three storm, hit the island in 1988.
He recalls the “raw power of the storm” and the devastation it caused.
“The whole area is like a disaster zone. It’s not safe to walk and you can’t drive and powerlines are down and it’s utter devastation,” he said.
Though he expects the community in Jamaica will come out of the disaster, he says the storm will cause severe damage.
“Who knows what a category five storm will do,” he said. “Yes we will survive it, but the island will certainly need help to recover.”
Carrol-Woolery said the association has been in contact with agencies on the ground to see what supports they can provide. He said monetary donations to those agencies would help.
People fill bags with sand in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Port Royal, Jamaica, October 26, 2025. REUTERS/Octavio Jones (Octavio Jones/Reuters)
‘This will not be the end of Jamaica’
Clive Forrester, a board member with the association, told CBC News he would be keeping an eye on any developments through social media and be checking in with his family regularly.
Forrester said his family resides in the St. Catherine area of the country, which was not in the direct path of the storm and so no evacuation order was issued.
“I’m not worried, just a little bit concerned for the persons living in those low-lying areas close to the coast,” he said. “Hopefully they’ve managed to evacuate and found themselves in a shelter.”
Forrester, who spoke to CBC News an hour before the storm made landfall, said he spoke with his mother and several friends, who were keeping an eye on the news and listening to the radio for updates.
Forrester, who was a child during Hurricane Gilbert, said the Jamaican community is a resilient one and the community will come out stronger.
“In Jamaica we have a saying, ‘We likkle but we tallawah’ which is a saying about our spirit and resilience,” he said.
“Obviously people need to be cautious and follow the instructions of the authorities and keep your family safe, but despite what some might say … this will not be the end of Jamaica.”
