Question re. impact of island elevation & track on stren

[Fran96]

<edited>....
An honest question for the meterologists....

To what degree does the elevation of island peaks affect the hurricane intensity? And, to what degree does the location of the peaks relative to the eye affect the degree of impact on the storm's strength after it passes an island?

From http://www.phrasebase.com, highest peaks in Jamaica and Cuba are 7400ft and 6580ft, respectively. By contrast, Grenada's highest peak is 2766ft.

I can see how elevated terrain can weaken a system, but given the size of the islands relative to the storm, do peaks even as high as in Jamaica and Cuba have much impact?

If the dire predictions for Jamaica are true and the eye passes over or near the island, will that likely have more of an affect on the system's intensity, as compared to it slipping between Jamaica and Hispanola? Similarly, would it passing over the more elevated parts of Cuba affect the strength more before it gets to the states compared to the center moving over one of the lower ends of Cuba?

I am not trying to imply anything or hope for any track over another. I'm just curious about what is known about the influence of the peaks on a storm like this. I am deeply concerned for the people still in Jamaica.