PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Caribbean is once again on edge as Tropical Storm Melissa inches closer to Jamaica, just one year after Hurricane Beryl devastated parts of the island.
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“Hurricane Beryl pretty much devastated the ackee industry. We were pretty much in survival mode,” said Palm Beach business owner Richard Godden, who distributes popular Jamaican produce to South Florida.
Godden said the industry had only recently recovered from last year’s losses.
“Fast forward to 2025, the crop rebounded. Right now, they are flourishing but here comes Melissa that’s threatening, that’s probably about to repeat history as far as devastating the industry again,” he said.
Godden’s business depends on importing Jamaican staples like callaloo, scotch bonnet peppers, pepper sauce, and jerk seasoning. He fears Melissa could deal a heavy blow to farmers and exporters across the island.
“We’re on pins and needles, quite honestly, and just praying for a change in path,” he said.
Melissa is expected to dump heavy rain causing life-threatening flash floods and landslides. The concerns go beyond business. Many in the Jamaican diaspora are also bracing for the storm’s potential impact on family and friends back home.
“It’s the island-wide impact that this will have on everyone, so that no one will be able to fare better if the hurricane hits in a worst-case scenario,” Godden added.
At Jerk Island Jamaican Restaurant in Palm Beach County, longtime business owner Junior Dixon shares the similar concern.
“You’ll have a lot of mudslides, a lot of roads are being eroded,” Dixon said.
Melissa has already dumped heavy rainfall across Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“We already have three dead; two in Port-au-Prince due to landslides,” said Haitian radio personality, LeGrand Parisien Salvant.
The National Hurricane Center said Melissa could strengthen into a hurricane in the coming days.
“It’s going to be devastating,” Godden said. “We’ll repeat what happened in 2024, where we’re just gonna have to pick up the pieces from here.”
Residents within the Caribbean diaspora said they’re hoping Melissa changes path or weakens in the coming days.
