SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – As Hurricane Melissa tears across Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, its impact is being felt far beyond the Caribbean, including right here in Central New York.
In downtown Syracuse, Jamaica Cuse has become more than just a restaurant, during times like this it’s a place of comfort and connection for the local Caribbean community. For Aldane Rattigan, the brother of the restaurant’s owner, the storm’s destruction has a deep emotional connection,
“I just started praying,” Rattigan said. “I called my family, my friends, people I’m close with and their relatives spread all over the country, just trying to make sure they’re okay. I was really concerned and worried about hearing a Category 5 hit Jamaica.”
While the storm’s damage continues to unfold thousands of miles away, Shane Rattigan the owner of Jamaica Cuse is doing what he can to support his community back home as much as possible.
“So many businesses that I work with called and asked what’s going on in Jamaica and how they can assist,” he said. “Restaurant Depot, the meat suppliers, all of them reached out to say, ‘Let me know what we can do.”
For the Rattigan family, moments like this highlight what their business has grown into: a home away from home for the Caribbean community in Syracuse.
“They call it the headquarters, the Jamaican headquarters,” Shane Rattigan said. “Wherever you’re from, most of the Caribbean or anywhere, the first place they come is right here at Jamaica Cuse.”
As Jamaica faces the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, the island’s continued resilience reflects the same spirit the Rattigans share with their community here in Syracuse.