When Kate Thame disembarks the plane in beautiful Jamaica, where her husband’s family lives, the people working on the tarmac ask if she’s been to the country before.

“I get to say, ‘Yes,’ and they say, ‘Welcome home,’” Thame said.

Her treasured memories in Jamaica made it that much harder to see the devastation caused by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, which ravaged the country and nearby Caribbean islands this week as one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record. Wind speeds peaked at 185 miles per hour as the storm crossed Jamaica.

The storm weakened Wednesday afternoon to a Category 2 hurricane as it hurtled toward the Bahamas.

Jamaica, specifically Montego Bay, was in the hurricane’s direct path, leaving behind a path of flooding, desperate people, decimated buildings and death. D

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