Sawt Falasteen - Hurricane Melissa strengthens as it crawls toward Jamaica

Melissa has already been blamed for three deaths in Haiti this week, as its outer bands brought heavy rains and landslides to the impoverished nation.

In the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, a 79-year-old man was found dead after being swept away in a stream, local officials said Saturday. A 13-year-old boy was missing.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in the early hours of Sunday that Melissa was a Category 3 hurricane, packing winds of 120 miles (193 kilometers) per hour.

The storm was expected to set off "life-threatening and catastrophic" flooding and landslides in portions of Jamaica, and southern Hispaniola, the NHC said.

"Continued rapid intensification is forecast during the next day or so, followed by fluctuations in intensity," NHC officials said, adding Melissa was "expected to be a major hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica Monday night or Tuesday."

As of early Sunday, Melissa was about 125 miles southeast of the Jamaican capital Kingston, and about 295 miles southwest of Haiti's Port-au-Prince.

The hurricane was moving at 5 mph, meaning it could batter both countries for days before heading north and threatening eastern Cuba.

In the Dominican Republic, Angelita Francisco fled her Santo Domingo neighborhood after floodwater inundated her house, causing her refrigerator to float away as trash bobbed around the home.

"You feel powerless, unable to do anything, just run away and leave everything behind," the 66-year-old homemaker told AFP through tears.

The country's emergency operations center said nine of 31 provinces were on red alert Saturday due to risk of flash floods, rising rivers, and landslides.

Melissa could bring 15 to 30 inches (38 to 76 cm) of rain in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, with isolated areas receiving as much as 40 inches, the NHC said.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Friday urged residents of flood-prone areas to heed warnings and be prepared to evacuate.

"If you live in an area that was flooded before, expect that it will flood again," he said.

Norman Manley International Airport, which serves Kingston, announced it would close on Saturday evening and urged the public not to travel there.

The Jamaica Information Service government agency said on Saturday that all seaports have been closed.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.

The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in early July 2024 -- an abnormally strong storm for the time of year.

Beryl brought downpours and strong winds to Jamaica as it moved past the island's southern coast, leaving at least four people dead.

O.Farraj--SF-PST