Savannah restaurant owner worries for relatives in Jamaica as storm makes landfall

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Families in Jamaica are feeling the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

FORECAST: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall over western Jamaica

That impact started long before it made landfall on the island.

WTOC sat down with a local Jamaican restaurant owner with family there.

Donavon Smith, the owner of Sweet Spice, a popular Jamaican restaurant in Savannah, says he spoke with his cousins Tuesday morning on a conference call.

At that point, they had already lost power and saw those high winds.

While worried, it’s his faith that’s getting him through and keeping his hopes high for their safety.

Tuesday was a busy work day for Sweet Spice, a popular Jamaican restaurant in Savannah.

“We’ve been here since 2011,” said Smith.

Smith has been serving Jamaican Cuisine in Savannah for more than a decade. Inspired by his life and family in his hometown, Darliston Westmoreland Parish in western Jamaica.

It’s where many of his cousins are braving Hurricane Melissa, now tied for the most intense landfalling hurricane in the Atlantic basin.

“They’re experiencing high winds, they have lost power,” said Smith. “We have never seen anything like this with this magnitude that’s projected. The worst we’ve seen when I was living there was Gilbert in 1988.”

Smith says he spoke with his family Tuesday morning.

Preparation was at the top of mind for them.

“Battening windows, they’ve gotten their generators ready, and livestock, cattle and stuff, they have secured the area that they’re in,” said Smith.

“Are you worried for them at all,” we asked.

“I am. But you know we’re faith based. We believe God will always take care of us. You’ve never seen the righteous forsaken or seen begging for bread. So he’ll give us nothing we can’t bear,” said Smith.

Smith told us he’ll continue to keep in contact with his family as long as he can.