Melissa’s Fury Batters Caribbean, Jamaica on High Alert

AFP/APP

Kingston, Jamaica: Hurricane Melissa carved a deadly path through the Caribbean on Saturday night, with forecasters warning of rapid intensification as the storm crept slowly toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola.

Classified as a Category 1 hurricane, Melissa was packing sustained winds of 100 miles (155 kilometers) per hour. The storm has already claimed at least four lives — three in Haiti earlier in the week and one in the Dominican Republic, where a 79-year-old man was swept away by floodwaters. A 13-year-old boy remains missing, according to local authorities.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Melissa is expected to unleash “life-threatening and catastrophic flooding and landslides” in Jamaica and southern parts of Hispaniola. “Rapid intensification is forecast to continue over the next day or so, and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane by Sunday,” the NHC said, adding that it could make landfall in Jamaica early next week as a major hurricane.

By Saturday evening, the storm’s center was located about 130 miles southeast of Kingston and 260 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, moving at a sluggish 3 miles per hour, heightening fears of prolonged devastation.

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Melissa is expected to drench parts of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola with 15 to 30 inches (38 to 76 centimeters) of rain, with isolated areas possibly receiving up to 40 inches, according to NHC estimates. Such downpours could trigger massive landslides, river overflows, and flash floods across already vulnerable communities.

In the Dominican Republic, widespread flooding forced residents to flee low-lying areas. “You feel powerless, unable to do anything, just run away and leave everything behind,” said Angelita Francisco, a 66-year-old homemaker from Santo Domingo, whose home was submerged by rising waters. The country’s emergency operations center placed nine of 31 provinces on red alert due to the high risk of flash floods and landslides.

In Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged residents to take evacuation warnings seriously. “If you live in an area that was flooded before, expect that it will flood again,” he cautioned on Friday.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November. The storm follows in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, which struck Jamaica in July 2024, leaving at least four people dead and causing widespread destruction.

Forecasters warn that Melissa’s slow movement could magnify its impact, potentially battering Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic for several days before shifting north toward eastern Cuba.

Authorities across the region remain on high alert as the Caribbean braces for what could become one of the most destructive storms of the season.