Montrealers with families in the path of Hurricane Matthew are watching the storm closely, while the hurricane convinced some vacationers to come home early.
Roberto Mancini surprised his wife with a trip to Jamaica for her 40th birthday
They cut the trip short as Matthew began to gain strength.
"Power lines can be down, phone lines can be down, there's no communication. plus the airport doesn't know it's going to reopen in time. My flight was scheduled for tomrorow [Tuesday] and you can be here for days," said Mancini.
Instead the couple flew home on Saturday as the rain began, only to learn how powerful the storm would become.
"You have no control. When it tells you that the hurricane is 150 miles wide, the island is 140 miles wide, there's nothing you can do. You can't take your car and go. You're trapped. So the only way out is before it hits," said Mancini.
For those living in Jamaica, and Haiti the news is frightening and many are bracing for very tough days ahead.
"We are very, very concerned because we already have the experience of a hurricane in Haiti, and it was a disaster," said Asma Heurtelou.
The host of a radio show on CPAM said people will do what they can from thousands of kilometres away.
"My family's house is hope to welcome people who don't know where they can go, if everything happens," said Heurtelou.
Jamaica's Consul General George Grant said tourists will be safe.
"There are hundreds of Montrealers in Jamaica on the moment on vacation, so at the consulate we've had calls from concerned parents and friends about their family there. But based on our past experience dealing with these situations they will be ok," said Grant.
"All hotels in Jamaica are built to withstand these kinds of storms, so the structures are safe."
It wasn't enough to convince Mancini.
"Vacations are supposed to be somewhere where you're happy and relaxed. And if I have to put my life or my wife's life or anybody's life... it's just not worth it," he said.
