Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson and her husband Alonzo Nelson are among thousands stranded in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa battered the island Monday night, Oct. 27, with record-breaking winds and flooding rain.
The couple, who had traveled to Jamaica for a business trip, found themselves sheltering inside a convention center now serving as an emergency evacuation hub.
From behind boarded-up walls, Harper-Nelson described the catastrophic Category 5 storm’s terrifying force in a live interview Tuesday morning with CBS Mornings.
“It was pretty hectic yesterday,” she said, speaking over the sound of howling wind. “You can hear the 60 mile-per-hour gusts right now. The building is leaking in spots, and everything is boarded up behind us. We can’t see what’s going on outside—you can just hear it.”
Despite the chaos, the former Olympic hurdler who won gold in Beijing in 2008 praised Jamaican locals for their composure
“Earlier in the week, the Jamaicans were so cool, calm, and collected,” she said. “But as the storm got closer last night, you could feel the tension rise. Everyone got nervous.”
Jamaican Officials Scramble To Protect Residents and Tourists
Jamaica’s Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, confirmed that roughly 25,000 tourists remain on the island. He assured the public that the Ministry of Tourism is coordinating with hotels to ensure their safety.
“There is no need to worry,” Dr. Morris Dixon said at a press briefing. “Our operations center is in constant communication with hotels, providing support and keeping visitors as safe as possible.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness also addressed the nation late Monday, describing the damage as “significant” and urging Jamaicans to remain indoors until the all-clear is given.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall as an extremely powerful Category 5 storm, with sustained winds exceeding 180 mph (290 km/h). The storm unleashed torrential rain across the island, triggering flash floods and leaving large areas without electricity.
You Can Hear It Coming Through the Walls
For Harper-Nelson and others hunkered down in shelters, the storm’s intensity was both surreal and humbling.
“You can literally hear the wind coming through the walls,” she told CBS. “We’re just praying everyone stays safe.”
Her account humanizes the scale of the crisis—one that has displaced families, tested emergency systems, and stranded visitors. It’s also a sobering reminder that natural disasters don’t discriminate by fame or status.
Looking Ahead
With the hurricane now moving toward Cuba and the Bahamas, Jamaican authorities are beginning early recovery assessments while continuing to prioritize search, rescue, and medical efforts across the island.
For now, Harper-Nelson and her husband, like thousands of others, are waiting out the aftermath, grateful to be alive, but uncertain about what comes next.
“It’s scary,” she said quietly. “But we’re holding on.”
