VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As Hurricane Melissa makes its way through Jamaica, many people in Hampton Roads have concerns for their families back home.
This includes Leroy Grant, the owner of De'Flavour Caribbean Restaurant off of Virginia Beach Boulevard.
He tells News 3 he has been losing sleep over the last few days, worried about his family and friends in Jamaica.
"Yeah, that's good, man. That's good," Grant said as he was cooking a meal for a customer.
Grant has been keeping busy cooking his family recipes, but when he's not in the kitchen, he's checking his phone and TV for updates from home.
"Last night I only got three or four hours of sleep. I get up and start to watch it to make sure everything is okay," he said.
Grant, who has lived in Virginia Beach for the last 20 years, is from Kingston, Jamaica, where his brother and sister still reside.
Hurricane Melissa is expected to be one of the strongerst storms in history to hit Jamaica.
Gran said he remembers the effects of Hurricane Gilbert back in 1988.
"I know Hurricane Gilbert. I've seen Hurricane Gilbert firsthand, and that took us maybe months to recover. But since then, a lot of structures have changed," Grant explained.
He noted that many homes now have roofs made of concrete, but he believes a major concern in his hometown is flooding.
"A lot of people don’t worry about their roofs blowing away or their furniture and windows being broken; they are more worried about the flooding," Grant said.
As he continues to try to reach his family back home, Grant says all they can do now is pray as the storm passes.
"Our thoughts are with them right now. Hopefully, everyone can come out safe. It's bad," he said.
