A yearly staff trip for a local business has left eight people stranded in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa struck land in the Caribbean. It was supposed to be a reward for a job well done, instead it turned into a nightmare. “They’re caught in what’s called the strongest storm on earth,” said Mike McGraw, Bradford Bumper to Bumper co-owner and general manager. McGraw has eight people from out region inside a hotel in Montego Bay as they ride out the hurricane. “They were enjoying themselves on the beach. It was sunny. There was no wind. They do get occasional little rain, but that’s typical for those, down in the islands,” said McGraw. “They had no idea or couldn’t believe what we were telling them that was coming. They were checking on the internet, but they were like, ‘there’s nothing.’” McGraw and his wife were supposed to be there too, but an unexpected hip injury stopped them. They didn’t want that to ruin the staff’s good time, so they sent six and two of their wives. “Guilt right now. I feel terrible that a I’m not there, to be with them because we planned the trip,” said McGraw. He has been trying to get them on another flight since Saturday. They even had tickets to come home yesterday, but the airport was closed as a safety precaution. Now his staff will have to hunker down and ride out the storm, leaving McGraw on the sidelines. “Who do you reach out to at this point? You wait until the dust settles from the storm ending, and then you find out who, who and what they’re going to do and to get people out,” said McGraw. “If the airports are ruined, what do you do if there’s no power, there’s no communication. At this point I can communicate. What happens when I can’t anymore?” So he’ll have his eyes glued to the TV and his ear on his phone until his staff are home safe.
