Woman Last Heard from Her Dad Day Before Hurricane Melissa Made Landfall. She’s ‘Terrified’ as She Waits for a Call 

Natalie Odell, a Miami-based influencer, is no stranger to hurricanes. But when she learned that a powerful storm was barreling toward Jamaica — where much of her extended family lives — she never imagined it would become one of the worst in the island’s history.

By Monday, Hurricane Melissa’s rapid intensification made clear that the coming days would bring unimaginable destruction. Odell, 31, grew increasingly fearful for her friends and relatives as she followed the news.

“I was immediately terrified,” she said in an interview on Friday. “It was really just lots of tears and praying.”

On Tuesday, Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, with maximum sustained winds reaching 185 mph, according to AccuWeather and The Weather Channel. It’s believed to be among the strongest storms ever to strike the nation.

The storm “ravaged” Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness wrote on Facebook, destroying homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and large parts of the country’s infrastructure. Internet access was also crippled — down to roughly 40% of normal levels by Thursday, according to NetBlocks, which tracks network data.

Before realizing the storm’s true strength, Odell’s father went to work on Monday, leaving her 13-year-old sister at home on another part of the island. He didn’t make it back before Melissa hit. Odell has since heard from her sister and her sister’s mother, who are both safe, but she has not been able to contact her father or many other relatives.

“It’s obviously been very scary and emotional,” Odell said. “We’re just trying to stand strong in faith.”

Born in Jamaica, Odell moved away at age six but has returned often over the years. “I feel very, very close to my Jamaican heritage,” she explained. “It’s a whole half of me.”

That connection has only made the disaster more painful. She knows firsthand how vulnerable much of the island’s infrastructure is.

“I know personally so many people who don’t even have real roofs — they’re made out of sheet metal and things of that nature,” she said. “I just knew their homes could not withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The aftereffects are going to be just as damaging. How are these people going to eat? How are they going to get fresh water?”

As updates have slowly emerged, Odell has already learned that several people close to her have lost family members in the storm. Over the past week, she’s stayed in touch with her sister as best she can, watching coverage of the destruction and sharing information online to raise awareness for recovery efforts.

“We have to help,” she said. “We may feel disconnected by country boundaries, but we’re all people. At some point, we all need help. This is our chance to do something good for someone else, even if you don’t know them personally.”

Odell encourages individuals and brands alike to give whatever they can — money, canned food, clothes, or other supplies — no matter how small. She has also launched a GoFundMe to support her family’s recovery.

“And if you can’t donate, you can stay informed and educate others,” she added.

Despite the heartbreak, Odell says she’s holding on to hope. Online, she’s seen uplifting clips of Jamaicans helping one another — a reminder of what she believes makes the island truly special.

“I fully believe it when people say Jamaicans are the most likely to help a stranger,” she said. “Even when I was little, it was the people who had the least who would share what little they had with others. It gives me hope, and that’s what’s fueling me.”

In the coming weeks, Odell hopes to travel to Jamaica to personally help distribute care packages and support relief efforts. She also plans to search in person for her father in the area where he was last believed to be when the storm hit.

For now, she says, she’s simply trying to be “a strong big sister” as she waits for more news.