As Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in the Caribbean by Tuesday, in Chicago, staff at a South Side family-owned restaurant are checking on family members back home in Jamaica. 

Workers at the Jamaica Jerk Villa in Auburn Gresham said they're worried about how their family members are planning to ride out the storm.

Rose Grand is terrified because a lot of her family members could endure Hurricane Melissa. She spoke to her daughters on Monday morning, who are still in Jamaica. Joelle Parkinsom-Plumber is one of them and spoke to Grand via FaceTime.

"I got enough water. Got some extra batteries for supply, and basically we just try stay in," Parkinsom-Plumber said.

She is also Lateisha Wade's cousin. They've been in contact ahead of the hurricane that is expected to make landfall by Tuesday.

"We are in panic because we are concerned for our family members," Wade said. "We've contacted them. We've talked to them. Make sure they have what they need, but at the same time, what do you need for a hurricane? You know what I'm saying? Safety. So we're just hoping that they're safe and doing well."

Wade and Grand work at the family-owned business that was founded by their grandmother, Vinette McKnight, who is from Jamaica. The restaurant was established on the South Side in 2002.

Grand said a lot of their family members work at the restaurant, and had a meeting Monday morning about contacting their family members.

"So far they're telling me they're afraid, but they're praying and hoping that the storm turn away and just give maybe a little rain, but they're afraid of the breeze," she said.

Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 early Monday as it neared Kingston, Jamaica, threatening to bring catastrophic flooding, landslides, and widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. 

Grand said she is scared, as her three daughters and nine grandchildren are in Portmore, a suburb of Kingston, Jamaica. She's just hoping they'll be able to ride out the storm, but flooding is possible as they are on low ground.

The strongest previous hurricane to pound Jamaica was Gilbert in 1988.

"Hurricane Gilbert, that destroyed a lot of homes in Jamaica. That gave Jamaica a big wakeup call back then. I feel like that's one of those hurricanes that let people know, ok, this a serious thing," Wade said.