Tropical Storm Melissa moved slowly across the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, posing a threat of hazardous landslides and life-threatening floods to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola, which includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The storm caused a fatal incident in southern Haiti, where an elderly man lost his life due to a fallen tree, and five individuals sustained injuries in the Artibonite region due to flooding, as reported by the Civil Protection Agency. Residents in flood-prone areas were advised to relocate to higher ground for safety.
Located approximately 345 kilometers southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 440 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the sluggish storm exhibited maximum sustained winds of 80 km/h while moving northwest at 7 km/h, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. A hurricane watch was issued for Jamaica and the southwestern Haiti peninsula, with a tropical storm warning in effect for Jamaica.
Anticipated to linger over open waters but draw closer to Jamaica and southwestern Haiti later in the week, Melissa was forecasted to intensify significantly by late Friday and over the weekend. AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, Alex DaSilva, expressed concerns about the storm’s potential for rapid intensification into a Category 5 hurricane, citing the warm waters and slow movement as critical factors.
Barbara Campbell from Kingston, Jamaica, shared her apprehension over the storm, stating that she had prepared her home and stocked up on essentials. In Jamaica, preparations included the availability of 881 shelters as needed, closure of courts, remote classes for schools, and strategic placement of sandbags in Kingston’s eastern region to prevent flooding.
Director of Jamaica’s Met Service, Evan Thompson, highlighted the possibility of up to 30 centimeters of rainfall in the eastern part of the island, emphasizing the significance of this precipitation. In the Dominican Republic, numerous individuals sought refuge in shelters, and operations in various sectors were halted in provinces under alert due to the storm’s impact.
Concerns were raised about Haiti’s vulnerability to Melissa’s effects, given the country’s history of devastation from previous storms, compounded by challenges such as erosion, gang violence, poverty, and weak governance. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs allocated $4 million US to assist over 10,000 vulnerable individuals in Haiti with evacuation support, emergency shelter, and essential supplies.
Melissa marked the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the first to originate in the Caribbean this year. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an active season with 13 to 18 named storms, including five to nine hurricanes, of which two to five could escalate into major hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season spans from June 1 to Nov. 30.