Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Haiti brace for ‘catastrophic flooding’ as storm set to strengthen into hurricane.
Tropical Storm Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane, the United States-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) says, as people across several Caribbean countries braced for heavy rainfall and dangerous flooding.
Hurricane Melissa was located about 380km (235 miles) southwest of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, the NHC said in its latest advisory on Saturday afternoon.
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A hurricane warning was in place for Jamaica as the NHC said life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides were expected in portions of southern Hispaniola island – shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic – and Jamaica into early next week.
The centre of Melissa was expected to move near or over Jamaica during the weekend and early next week, the NHC said, adding that it could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.
A hurricane watch was also in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from Port-au-Prince to the border with the Dominican Republic, according to the NHC advisory.
A man rides a motorcycle on a flooded street in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, October 24, 2025 [Eddy Vittini/Reuters]
Already, three people have died in Haiti, including two killed in a landslide in the capital Port-au-Prince and another struck by a falling tree in Marigot, officials said.
A fourth person was killed in the Dominican Republic, where another remains missing.
Jamaica’s Meteorological Service principal director Evan Thompson told The Gleaner that residents should brace for a “double effect” as the hurricane’s eye passes over the island, with the strongest winds hitting from opposite directions on either side of the centre.
The forecast marks a significant shift from earlier in the week, when landfall was considered only a “slim chance”.
Authorities have readied more than 650 emergency shelters across Jamaica and said airports will close once a hurricane warning is declared. Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned the public to treat the approaching storm as a serious threat. “Take all measures to protect yourself,” he said.
The storm has already wrought havoc in the Dominican Republic, where nearly 200 homes have been damaged and more than half a million people left without water.
In the Los Rios neighbourhood of the capital, Santo Domingo, families were forced to flee rising floodwaters on Thursday evening after surrounding streams burst their banks, according to the Listin Diario daily newspaper.
More than two dozen Dominican communities remain cut off by floodwaters, prompting mandatory evacuations and nationwide school closures.
The situation is particularly dire for thousands displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, now living in makeshift shelters with scant protection.
“I’m dealing with two storms: the gangs and the weather,” Nephtali Johnson Pierre told The Associated Press news agency.
Melissa is also forecast to strike eastern Cuba as a major hurricane on Wednesday.
