LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres man is anxiously waiting for updates from family and friends as Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, pounds Jamaica with devastating winds and flooding.
Cornell Bunting, a Jamaican-born naturalized U.S. citizen, has been frantically calling relatives on the island as the massive hurricane makes landfall. His first home, built in 2002, currently houses about 16 people, including cousins, friends and his sister with a young baby.
"I was crying yesterday, but then I caught myself because I'm like, 'Dude, it's gonna be okay,'" Bunting said. "What's gonna happen is gonna happen. I don't think we can change nothing."
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Bunting's family left St. Mary and St. Elizabeth to take shelter in the hills of Jamaica, which provides some protection from flooding as water runs downhill. His home has a concrete roof rather than the zinc roofing common on many Jamaican houses, which offers better protection against the powerful winds.
"The structure of most of the houses, they're not solid," Bunting explained. "Even where my cousin is, these houses are board houses with zinc rooftops. So the wind hits that a certain way, the whole entire house is gone."
During a video call, Bunting connected with his cousin on WhatsApp, who was clearing zinc roofing materials from roads. He called a friend who was in Kingston as Melissa hit.
"I told everyone just make sure you're saving as much [energy] as possible so we can communicate," he said.
Despite the dangerous conditions, Barnett remained in good spirits.
"It's rough, but we're sticking it out," Barnett said from Kingston. "We got no control over these things, so what you gotta do? You fix it back."
Comedian Blacka Ellis, speaking from his Kingston apartment, said he planned to ride out the storm despite its Category 5 status.
"My fear is I might eat up all the food before the hurricane," Ellis joked during the video call.
The slow-moving storm has been particularly concerning for those watching from afar.
Deanie Singh, another Jamaican-American in the area, recalled the devastation of Hurricane Gilbert , which hit when she was 13-years-old.
"At that time, we lived in the same house that my mom currently lives in, and it annihilated us," Singh said. "To hear that this storm is of a greater magnitude than what Gilbert was has nothing but fear that constantly lingers in my heart."
Singh's mother, a U.S. citizen living in Jamaica, refused to leave her small house, concerned about who would care for the people she regularly feeds in her community.
They said many Jamaicans have refused evacuation orders and chose to stay and protect their homes, despite government directives.
"Jamaicans are stubborn," Bunting said. "We want to make sure our place is okay, even when it's not even built properly."
Bunting operates a nonprofit called Everyone Has a Story (EOS), which serves over 1,100 children and their families in Jamaica. He's already planning relief efforts once the storm passes, including sending supplies via a friend's plane.
"Help is coming for all you guys that don't have much right now," Bunting said in a message to those on the island. "Right after this hurricane is done and gone, we're coming and we got you guys."
The organization plans to partner with United Way Jamaica and other groups to coordinate larger relief efforts. They want to focus on hygiene products and canned foods.
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