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In Jamaica, officials said 881 shelters would be made available
as needed. Courts were ordered closed and schools were to switch
to remote classes Thursday.
Evan Thompson, director of Jamaica’s Met Service, said the
island’s eastern region could see up to 12 inches (30
centimeters) of rain. “Now that is significant rainfall, and
that is the main thing that we should be mindful of at this
time,” he said.
Similar rainfall amounts were expected for southern Haiti and
the southern Dominican Republic through Saturday, with even more
rain possible locally depending on Melissa's path later in the
week. Heavy rain was also forecast forecast for western Jamaica,
southern Hispaniola, Aruba and Puerto Rico.
People were also concerned about the impact in Haiti, which
shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic and
has been devastated by past storms. Gang violence, poverty and
ineffective governance mean storm preparations are limited.
Early Thursday, Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph
(80 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 3 mph (5 kph), the
U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
The slow-moving storm was centered about 300 miles (485
kilometers) south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and some
240 miles (390 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.
Melissa was expected to move closer to Jamaica and southwestern
Haiti later this week. It was forecast to strengthen gradually
and could be a hurricane by Friday and a major hurricane by the
late weekend.
“Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly likely that Melissa
will become a large and dangerous hurricane,” the U.S. center
warned.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane
season, and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this
year.
The 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 or greater.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
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