JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 One Jacksonville couple was forced to ride out Hurricane Melissa while in Jamaica and just recently made it back home after their ordeal. <\/p>\n
Action News Jax\u2019s Jessica Salinas spoke to the Jacksonville couple about how their vacation turned into a nightmare. That\u2019s how one Jacksonville couple feels after surviving Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I wake up every morning, I\u2019m thinking, oh, I am home,\u201d said DeAndrea Smith, Hurricane Melissa Survivor. <\/p>\n
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <\/b><\/a><\/p>\n DeAndrea and Melvin Smith planned a four-day trip to Jamaica\u2019s Montego Bay over a year ago with the hopes of having a good time celebrating Melvin\u2019s birthday and going to a friend\u2019s wedding this October, where Melvin was the best man. <\/p>\n \u201cCalm before the storm. Everything is just beautiful, loving to be here, just gorgeous,\u201d said Melvin Smith, Hurricane Melissa survivor. <\/p>\n But that relaxing vacation soon turned into survival mode as the Smiths were in the path of Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm. The Smiths tried to book several flights to leave the Island, but they kept getting canceled. <\/p>\n \u201cThe shaking, the sounds of trees snapping,\u201d DeAndrea Smith. <\/p>\n The Smiths say they\u2019ll never forget those sights and sounds \u2013 even as they prepared for the worst. They say they took a friend\u2019s disturbing yet necessary advice in case their bodies needed to be identified. <\/p>\n \u201cShe told us to get a Sharpie pen for the both of us. Write my name and my date of birth, and do the same for my husband in case we got separated,\u201d said DeAndrea Smith.<\/p>\n