Pittsburgh-area native riding out Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica says it’s “the scariest thing”

As Hurricane Melissa rips through Jamaica, thousands of locals and visitors are riding it out, including a woman from southwestern Pennsylvania.

As the winds blew and the rain came pouring down in Montego Bay, Antoinette Margita hunkered down in her hotel, filled with anxiety.

“I just don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been through anything like this,” Margita said. “It’s probably the scariest thing.”

From Duquesne, she flew out of Pittsburgh and got to Jamaica on Friday for what was supposed to be a trip celebrating her friend’s birthday. But when there were early signs of a potential storm, her friend decided to stay back.

“I should have listened to her,” Margita said.

She could not get an early flight out, so she enjoyed the sunshine until Monday night, when the front started to come in and pick up Tuesday morning.

“I kind of feel like I’m in a movie. It’s not real, but it is real,” Margita said. “You can hear like the wind. It’s like whistling. The door sounds like the door is going to come open.”

The hotel gave the guests care packages with lots of water, along with notes on how to ride out the hurricane, instructing them to put a mattress against the window.

So far, so good, as her hotel is running on a generator, but shortly after Melissa made landfall nearly 40 miles away, a little water started flooding under her door.

“Just thinking positive and just trying to talk to my friends on the phone to get me through it,” Margita said.

As the hours go on, Margita hopes things don’t get worse, waiting for the moment she can fly back to Pittsburgh.

“I just want to come home, honestly, that’s what I want,” Margita said.

Margita was originally supposed to fly out on Tuesday. The flight was, of course, cancelled, as was her new flight for Wednesday. It’s unclear when the airport will reopen.