A hurricane watch is in effect for Haiti on Wednesday as Tropical Storm Melissa moves slowly across the region, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding over portions of Hispaniola and Jamaica over the remainder of this week.
The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the storm could become a hurricane by Thursday and is about 305 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince in Haiti and 335 miles southeast of Kingston, the Jamaican capital.
It has maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour (MPH), and the NHC said that some gradual strengthening is anticipated during the next few days. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for Jamaica, and the NHC noted that the Hurricane Watch for Haiti indicates hurricane conditions are possible in the area.
The storm is moving very slowly toward the west-northwest at two mph, and the NHC said a slow forward speed and a gradual turn to the northwest and north-northwest is expected over the next few days.
“On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week,” the NHC said, adding that tropical storm conditions could begin in Jamaica late on Thursday or Friday.
Melissa is expected to bring five to 10 inches of rain to the southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti, and eastern Jamaica through Saturday, with locally higher amounts possible. Across the northern Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, and western Jamaica, two to four inches of rain are expected through Saturday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Melissa, which could strengthen into a major hurricane potentially impacting the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and eastern Cuba. Humanitarian partners are working with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Authority to step up preparedness efforts across the region.
OCHA said the storm is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds to Haiti — potentially causing flooding, landslides, and power outages. In response, US$4 million has been allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Haiti so the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) can support more than 100,000 vulnerable people before the storm hits.
The funds, released as part of the UN’s anticipatory action efforts, will allow humanitarian partners to provide early warning messages, evacuation assistance, cash transfers, emergency shelter management, and water, sanitation, and hygiene kits.
