Tropical Storm Melissa Stationary In The Caribbean As 4 Deaths Reported And Huge Rains Expected

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Melissa was almost constant in the center caribbean Forecasters on Friday warned that it could strengthen as a powerful hurricane and move toward Jamaica, dumping a staggering amount of rain — up to 35 inches (89 centimeters) — on southwestern Haiti, where they warned of flooding and landslides.

The erratic storm was expected to drop plenty of rain on southern parts of Jamaica and Haiti. Dominican Republic. At least three people were killed in Haiti, one person was killed in the Dominican Republic, and one person was reported missing.

“These heavy rains will only last a few days in one area,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the US National Hurricane Center.

The storm was about 190 miles (310 kilometers) southeast of Kingston. Jamaicaand about 225 miles (360 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The U.S. center said maximum sustained winds were 65 mph (100 km/h), moving north at 2 mph (4 km/h).

A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning were in effect for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.

Melissa’s center is expected to move near or over Jamaica early next week, forecasters said.

Up to 25 inches (64 centimeters) of rain is expected in parts of Jamaica, southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic through Tuesday. Up to 35 inches of rain are possible on Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula, the center said. This was considered an unusually high amount even for a slow-moving storm.

The storm is then predicted to hit eastern Cuba as a major hurricane early Wednesday, dropping as much as 30 centimeters in some areas.

The National Hurricane Center warned that “intense rains will cause catastrophic flooding and landslides in southwestern Haiti until early next week.”

It was also noted that strong winds could last a day or longer in Haiti’s Tiburon peninsula.

The Haiti Civil Protection Agency said that two people died and one person was injured in the landslide in Port-au-Prince, increasing the death toll to three. Earlier this week, a large tree fell on an elderly man in southern Haiti, killing him; Five more people were injured in the flood disaster in the central region of the country.

The UN said it was preparing more than 100 emergency shelters in the southern region of Haiti.

Wilgar Joseph said he and his family left their home in Les Cayes for safety reasons because it had a zinc roof.

“I will stay with a friend whose house is on high ground so I can protect myself in case it gets out of control,” he said.

Meanwhile, thousands of people in Port-au-Prince are living in makeshift shelters after gangs worried about the storm forced them to flee their homes.

“The message on the radio is to protect ourselves,” Dina Georges said. “How can I protect myself if I don’t have a home? I’m on the streets. On top of that, I have two children to protect.”

Nephtali Johnson Pierre, 35, echoed those sentiments: “I’m fighting two storms: gangs and weather.”

Melissa was expected to move towards Jamaica over the weekend. It was expected to strengthen into a hurricane on Saturday and become a major hurricane on Sunday, possibly reaching Category 4 status before dawn on Monday.

Life-threatening floods and landslides could occur in Jamaica because the ground is already saturated from recent heavy rainfall unrelated to the storm, forecasters said.

Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s chief hurricane expert, said the storm was moving so slowly that parts of Jamaica could experience hurricane conditions for 72 hours or more.

“Melissa is turning into a disaster in slow motion,” he said. “Millions of people face catastrophic impacts. We are increasingly concerned about the threat of a humanitarian catastrophe, especially if this storm subsides.”

Marcus Thompson, who lives in Kingston, said he closed his windows and stocked up on water and canned food.

“We’ve had storms before, but this time it’s better to be prepared early,” he said.

Others checked their roofs, cleaned their gutters and charged electrical devices.

“I moved my car to higher ground and gathered all the necessary paperwork just in case,” said Alton Williams, who lives in Mandeville.

In East Kingston, Veronica James said she is following updates and keeping her children informed.

“If the authorities decide that evacuation is necessary, we have a small bag ready with medicine and important documents,” he said.

Schools, health centers and government offices closed across Jamaica on Thursday, and authorities warned that all airports would close within 24 hours if a hurricane warning was issued. More than 650 shelters became operational.

Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness He noted that the slow movement of the storm created planning difficulties, but that the public sector would close on Friday afternoon.

“Jamaica is at risk,” he said. “There is a threat.”

The Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that it would evacuate Bahamian students from Jamaica ahead of the storm.

The storm caused damage to nearly 200 houses Dominican Republic and disabled water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also knocked down trees and traffic lights and caused several minor landslides.

All public schools in the Dominican Republic and government offices in 12 provinces were closed on Friday under alert. More than two dozen communities lost their lives due to floodwaters.

“This is an incident that we have to follow minute by minute,” said Juan Manuel Méndez García, director of emergency operations for the Dominican Republic.

Authorities noted that evacuation was mandatory in areas under alert.

“The main thing here is to save lives. The risk is excessive amounts of rain,” said Dominican President Luis Abinader.

Melissa is the 13th storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 storms.

Myers Jr. reported from Kingston, Jamaica, and Sanon from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.