As Hurricane Melissa loomed last week , Hollywood resident Mark McKenzie tried talking his mother, who lives in Jamaica part of the year, into flying to Miami.

McKenzie described his mother, Julette Richards, a retired hospice nurse, as strong-willed and “willing to see things through.” She said no.

“Now it’s too late,” McKenzie, 52, a media consultant born in London to Jamaican parents, said on Monday as he scrutinized the storm’s path. “This is deeply personal to me. I’m annoyed and worried.”

Heather Ireland, a cashier at Irie Jerk Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, also keeps checking on Melissa’s expected route. Ireland’s mother, brother, sister-in-law, aunts and uncles are in Kingston, the nation’s capital.

Her Jamaican family’s internet and phone service were spotty as the storm ne

See Full Page