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\n\tLate last week, some of Jamaica<\/a>\u2019s most storied musicians \u2014 including former Wailers guitarist Earl \u201cChinna\u201d Smith and DJ U Brown \u2014 were gathered at Anchor, a recording studio in Kingston. But their session, backing Harper Simon, Paul\u2019s son, was cut short. \u201cThe hurricane was hitting the next day and the airports were closing,\u201d says producer Wayne Jobson, who was overseeing the work. Jobson then received a text from saxophonist Dean Fraser, who was also at the session: \u201cThis is going to be bad. We just have to wait and see. Then get busy.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOnce it made landfall on Tuesday, Hurricane Melissa<\/a>, the Category 5 storm that barreled through Jamaica, tore roofs from houses, flooded hospitals and streets, and left as much as 80 percent of the country without power. The storm impacted every aspect of life in Jamaica, including the reggae<\/a> community that\u2019s been integral to its culture and reputation. And like the country itself, Jamaica\u2019s reggae circle is beginning to come to terms with the devastation wrought by a monster of a hurricane.<\/p>\n \n\tIn the two days after Melissa passed and moved on to wreak havoc in Cuba, the effects were still being felt in Jamaica. The capital city of Kingston, located on the east coast and home to much of its reggae history and legacy, wasn\u2019t hit as hard as other, western parts of the country. \u201cWe had a few cancellations and some travel disruptions, but the property has thankfully stood strong,\u201d says Jon Baker, owner of GeeJam Studios in Port Antonio, where Coldplay, Drake, and the Rolling Stones have recorded. \u201cGeeJam was built to handle this weather.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAccording to Rohan Marley, Bob\u2019s son, the Bob Marley Museum and legendary Tuff Gong studio in Kingston were not significantly impacted by the storm. All of the Marley properties on the island, especially the museum on Hope Road, are now being used as a relief center for those in need of food and supplies. \u201cThat\u2019s what we call the meaning of hope, you know,\u201d says Marley (who is based in Miami and wasn\u2019t in Jamaica when Melissa hit). \u201cWe don\u2019t think of that [business] side of it. We think more what we can do now and how we can mobilize and assist the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n