Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the Caribbean, killing an elderly man in Haiti

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Melissa has been blamed for downing a large tree that killed an elderly man in the coastal town of Marigot in southern Haiti, while five other people were injured in flooding in the central Artibonite area, according to the Civil Protection Agency.

The storm lumbered through the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, bringing a risk of dangerous landslides and life-threatening flooding to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — an island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Officials urged residents in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground.

The slow-moving storm was centred about 220 miles (355 kilometres) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 280 miles (450 kilometres) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving north-northwest at 2 mph (4 kph), the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

"The storm has been crawling and moving erratically," the center said.

Melissa was expected to remain over open water this week, but move closer to Jamaica and southwestern Haiti in upcoming days. It was expected to strengthen significantly by late Friday and become a major hurricane by the end of the weekend, possibly reaching Category 4 status by Tuesday.

"The very warm waters and slow movement of this storm are a recipe for disaster," said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather's lead hurricane expert. "Rapid intensification into a Category 5 hurricane is not out of the question."

Barbara Campbell, who works in Kingston, Jamaica's capital, said by phone that she has prepared her home and bought food and water ahead of the storm.

"I'm very worried," she said.

In Jamaica, officials said that 881 shelters would be made available as needed. Courts were ordered closed and schools were to switch to remote classes on Thursday. Meanwhile, crews placed 1,000 sandbags in the eastern part of Kingston to prevent 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.

Evan Thompson, director of Jamaica's Met Service, said that the island's eastern region could see up to 12 inches (30 centimetres) of rain. "Now that is significant rainfall, and that is the main thing that we should be mindful of at this time," he said.

Dozens of people were already in shelters in the Dominican Republic, and schools, businesses and government agencies were closed in the nine provinces under alert. Dozens of water supply systems were out of service Wednesday, affecting more than 500,000 customers.

"People must remain in their homes for security reasons," said Juan Manuel Méndez García, emergency operations director in the Dominican Republic.

Up to 12 inches (30 centimetres) of rain also was forecast for southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic, with higher amounts possible through Sunday.

The US National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that "Significant, life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides" were expected in Jamaica and southern Hispaniola.

People were concerned about the storm's impact in Haiti, which has been devastated by past storms given widespread erosion. Gang violence, poverty and weak governance mean storm preparations are limited.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, announced Thursday that $4 million was set aside to help more than 10,000 vulnerable people in Haiti before the storm. The money will go toward lifesaving evacuation support, cash transfers, emergency shelter management and water, sanitation and hygiene kits, the agency said.

Flooding is a big concern since Haiti reported 139 suspected cholera cases and five deaths in one week alone earlier this month after nearly three months of no cases.

"This outbreak is unfolding amid a severe deterioration of basic services in the capital, where only 11 per cent of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain fully operational," OCHA said.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this year.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to nine were forecast to become hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes, which pack winds of 111 mph (178 kph) or greater.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

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