LAS VEGAS ( FOX5 ) — A Las Vegas restaurant owner spent sleepless hours checking on more than 50 family members in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa, a deadly Category 5 storm, made landfall Tuesday.

Oniel Smith, owner and chef of House of Dutch Pot near Durango Drive and Flamingo Road, said he has been in constant contact with relatives as the strongest storm of the year slammed the Caribbean.

“I was up all night, just constantly checking in, calling, texting,” Smith said. “Put it like this. I ain’t sleep yet.”

Family shelters others during storm

Smith’s cousin lost power early Tuesday morning, forcing brief phone conversations to conserve her phone battery. Through her window, Smith could see the storm’s impact on the island where he grew up.

His family members, who Smith said live out

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