CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati family is bracing for impact in Jamaica as Category 5 storm Hurricane Melissa bears down on them.
Charlie and Laura Moorman were vacationing at the Bahia Precipe resort with their 5-year-old daughter Navia when Hurricane Melissa quickly developed into a Category 5 storm and turned in their direction.
They showed us around the resort, now surrounded by sandbags with boarded windows Monday as they prepared their belongings and waited for word to head to the resort's central shelter.
"We're going to be in a room with (700 to 800) other people who are all going to be coping with this in different ways," Charlie said.
WATCH: Cincinnati couple, Jamaican locals brace for impact of Hurricane Melissa
Charlie said he was frustrated after an attempt to book an emergency flight off the island through Delta fell through. The couple said a supervisor originally booked them on a Sunday afternoon flight, but it was canceled.
"All flights off the island had already been canceled," Charlie said.
A Delta spokesperson said Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay (MBJ) closed hours earlier than airport officials originally communicated Sunday. This resulted in unexpected Delta flight cancelations, according to the spokesperson.
"Delta sympathizes with customers in Jamaica who were expecting to depart Sunday," Delta told us in a statement. "We are focused on staying in touch with them and providing updates about service resumption as we know them."
The spokesperson said Delta will remain in contact with Jamaican authorities to resume service as soon and safely as possible.
The Moormans said they were keeping cool for Navia.
"We're just trying to stay calm for our kid, mostly," Laura said.
They said the thought of the approaching hurricane, however, has filled them with dread.
"Our hope is to get out on our flight that is scheduled for Friday," Laura said. "That is our number one hope."
At the same time, Jamaicans now living in the Greater Cincinnati area are keeping tabs on friends and family back home and hoping for the best.
We met Joni Sinclair at her North College Hill home. The now U.S. Citizen moved from Jamaica when she was 14 and has lived in the region for 29 years.
Those she knows in the Caribbean said they're already seeing impacts from the approaching storm, including swollen streams and rainfall.
"I'm sure there's going to be a period where they have power out, so there won't be any communication. The majority of us use WhatsApp to communicate with our family," Sinclair said.
Peter Ainsworth, owner of Middletown's Irie Smoothie, said he was concerned about the destruction of the island's natural beauty.
"That kind of devastation will really have a huge impact on that, and the lush vegetation that we have here in Jamaica," Ainsworth said.
Matthew 25 Ministries in Blue Ash announced ahead of the hurricane's Jamaican landfall that it would be responding with humanitarian aid.
"Recent shipments of essential supplies to Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad have allowed these partners to have pre-positioned aid to be used for immediate and rapid response once the storm passes. The organization is in communication with these partners serving the impacted regions to identify the most urgent, immediate and long-term needs," a release from Matthew 25 Ministries said.
You can help the group respond to the potential destruction in the Caribbean here.
