HARTFORD, Conn. — Hurricane Melissa is fueling concern among the Jamaican community in Connecticut. The storm is set to hit the island on Tuesday as a Category 5 —the strongest the island has seen a direct hit from since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.

"I'm very nervous because of the slowness of it all and the fact that they've been having heavy rains for the past week and a half,” said Marva Douglas-Wilks, president of Taste the Caribbean Arts and Culture Inc.

Douglas-Wilks said she’s been checking in on her family there. A life-threatening storm surge up to 13 feet is expected across the southern side of the island, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline.

"Family members said when they got to the grocery store yesterday, there was a big

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