Consulate of Jamaica in Chicago working to help people stranded on island return home after Hurricane Melissa
Visitors who went to Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa hit the Island on Tuesday are still unsure when they'll be able to return home.
Kingston's airport is flooded, and Montego Bay's airport is destroyed. The consulate of Jamaica in Chicago said this is now on a day-by-day basis.
Melissa Quinones, who is now left stranded in Jamaica, shared what the hurricane looked like through her Instagram story on Tuesday. She was in Montego Bay for a friend's birthday celebration last Thursday. She said following the experience, she will rethink planning a trip during hurricane season.
"We are traveling people all the time. We always travel through the hurricane season. I'll tell you this much — we are really reconsidering traveling in the hurricane season."
CBS News Chicago has yet to hear back from Quinones since Tuesday.
Around 77% of Jamaica is without electricity as of Wednesday. Honorary consul Lester Barclay, consulate of Jamaica in Chicago, knows of 22 families from the Chicagoland area who are currently stranded in Jamaica. He's working with state representative La Shawn Ford to help bring those families back.
"As soon as the infrastructure is in place that will allow them to travel back to the United States, we'll work with the U.S. government to get those individuals back home to Chicago area," Barclay said.
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on Tuesday with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. Barclay said the hurricane impacted the island, affecting more than 400,000 people across.
"We got over 30 inches of rain that fell, in addition to 185 mph winds. So everything is touch-and-go at this point," Barclay said.
Barclay said while getting Chicagoans back home is his main concern, his family, who weathered Melissa in Jamaica, is also on the back of his mind.
"It's nerve-wracking because of the severe damage that has been done to the infrastructure there, and I am concerned about their well-being," he said.
Barclay says they've opened a drop-off location for critical supplies to be sent to Jamaica at the Chatham Community Center. A complete list of those urgently needed items can be found on the Support Jamaica's website.