One dead in Haiti as Tropical Storm Melissa nears Jamaica

Tropical Storm Melissa lumbered through the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, killing one person in Haiti and threatening the region with life-threatening flash floods and landslides as it crawls slowly toward Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

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Haitian authorities said an elderly man was killed in the coastal town of Marigot after a large tree fell on him, while five others were injured in flooding in the central Artibonite region. The Civil Protection Agency warned that the risk of deadly landslides remains high as heavy rains continue to saturate the soil in southern Hispaniola — the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The slow-moving storm was centered about 220 miles (355 kilometers) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and roughly 280 miles (450 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), Melissa was moving north-northwest at a sluggish 2 mph (4 kph).

A hurricane watch was in effect for Jamaica and Haiti’s southwestern peninsula, stretching from the Dominican border to Port-au-Prince, while a tropical storm warning covered all of Jamaica.

“The system is still moving very slowly,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan. “We are very concerned about the potential for multiple days of long-duration wind, storm surge, heavy rainfall and flooding impacts.”

In Jamaica, officials said 881 shelters would be opened if needed, with courts ordered closed and schools switching to remote learning. Crews placed 1,000 sandbags in eastern Kingston to guard against flooding from a nearby gully.

“Our main focus is to be prepared for what could be a very damaging storm,” Works Minister Roberto Morgan said.

Health Minister Christopher Tufton added that all 325 health centers across Jamaica would close by Thursday afternoon, while hospitals are on emergency power systems capable of operating for up to 72 hours. “It’s important that the public take the next couple of hours to prepare themselves,” Tufton warned, noting possible disruptions to supply chains for essential medicines.

The government has also warned of expected power outages and said dozens of additional line workers have been flown in to help restore electricity once conditions allow.

Across the region, preparations intensified as the storm approached. In the Dominican Republic, schools, businesses, and government offices were closed in nine provinces, and dozens of people sought shelter. Authorities reported that more than 500,000 residents were affected by water system disruptions.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced Thursday that it had allocated $4 million to support over 10,000 vulnerable Haitians ahead of the storm. The funds will go toward emergency evacuations, cash assistance, temporary shelters, and water and sanitation supplies.

The NHC warned that Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic could see between 8 and 14 inches of rain through Sunday, with localized totals even higher — posing “significant, life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides” across southern Hispaniola and eastern Jamaica.