WATERBURY, Conn. (WFSB) - The strongest hurricane on record to hit Jamaica has struck the island nation, leaving Jamaican people in Connecticut frantically trying to get in touch with friends and family.

Members of the Jamaican community in Waterbury said their parents, children and friends are boarding up windows and trying to ride out Hurricane Melissa. Many have already lost power and their ability to communicate.

Video shared by Tasha Van Horn of Waterbury shows powerful winds whipping trees and power lines in Jamaica hours before Melissa made landfall. Van Horn has not been able to talk to any of her family since this morning, who were already helping one another even before the storm’s full power arrived.

“When I spoke to my aunt this morning, she told me she actually was outside

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