My family sheltered in our home while Hurricane Melissa raged outside. I kept my routine for my 2 daughters, but some rules went out the window.

"The house we are in is made of concrete with a slab roof, and we did a lot of preparatory work. Currently, there are eight of us here: my husband, me, our two girls, ages 4 and 6, our nanny and her two children, ages 10 and 13, and a gardener from our community whose roof is made of zinc, which offers less protection - plus a dog and a cat."

"We are in the Blue Mountains outside Kingston, where even normal rain can trigger landslides. Because hurricanes come with notice, we've been talking to the kids for days about what to expect - lots of scary sounds, bad weather, and the importance of staying calm and listening. Now, we're just waiting it out and doing a lot of mopping. We were here for Hurricane Beryl last year, so they are familiar with some of the signs, but this is much worse."

Eight people shelter in a concrete, slab-roof home in the Blue Mountains outside Kingston during Hurricane Melissa, including two adults, four children, a nanny, and a gardener. The household prepared supplies, stocked freezers, and repurposed school-lunch inventory to feed everyone. Children were briefed about scary sounds and the need to stay calm and listen, drawing on experience from Hurricane Beryl but facing a more intense storm. Neighbors communicate via a community chat to share photos and road updates. The location's steep terrain raises landslide risk, and occupants maintain routines, calm language, and cleaning to stay safe and occupied.

Read at Business Insider