According to the National Hurricane Center, Melissa is expected to strike Cuba later Tuesday night after passing over Jamaica. Forecasters said life-threatening winds, flooding, storm surge and landslides could devastate the island, especially the southern coastal regions.

At Carena's Jamaican Grill in Midlothian, owner Carena Ives is busy with her customers, but her mind is very much on her native home of Jamaica, where family including her mother is bracing for the massive hurricane.

"I want to hold onto the beauty of the island because I know what it feels like and I know what it means in my heart, but I know that it's going to be devastated," Ives said. "Jamaicans, they are hard core. They are tough, tough people. They know what hardship is and I think that's part of the tragedy of t

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