Three dead in Haiti in landslides from Tropical Storm Melissa; Jamaica begins shut down

Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald on Oct 24, 2025

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Though the full effects of Tropical Storm Melissa have yet to be felt in the Caribbean, Haiti’s disaster office said Friday three people have already died and another was injured in a landslide attributed to the storm’s heavy rains.

Two people were killed Thursday in Fontamara, a community south of Port-au-Prince, in the West regional department. Another person was killed Wednesday from the storm’s effects.

“This incident brings to three the number of victims of severe weather in the past 48 hours,” Haiti’s Office of Civil Protection said.

The office reported that flooding of the Saint Martin River, caused by heavy rains, also destroyed a bridge in Saint Suzanne, in the northeast region of Haiti. Homes were also destroyed or damaged also in Port-de-Paix in the northwest.

Though the tropical storm, which on track to becoming a major hurricane next week, has veered slightly from Haiti’s southern coast, the National Hurricane Center warned Haitians that it’s expected to bring life-threatening and catastrophic flash floods and landslides.

The same warning has also been issued for parts of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, where residents are being urged to prepare and pay attention to updates.

In Jamaica, financial institutions began closing early Friday, with the Bank of Jamaica announcing it would close its doors and tell services to the public at 11:00 a.m. The Office of the Prime Minister also announced that as of 2 p.m. all non-essential offices would close.

“All small craft operators including fishers from the cays and banks should by now have completed all the necessary safety precautions and are advised to remain in safe harbor until all warning messages have been lifted,” the Office of Disaster and Emergency Management said in one of its bulletins.

The storm is expected to bring torrential rainfall to Jamaica with amounts reaching as much as 14 inches in the eastern parishes through the weekend, causing widespread flooding and landslides. That would gradually spread westward across the country next week, the country’s Meteorological Service said.

“As the tropical storm moves closer to the island, expect strong, gusty winds reaching tropical storm force to initially affect eastern parishes later today and continuing into the weekend across the island,” the Jamaica Meteorological Service warned.

Melissa was expected to drift slowly toward the northeast and north later Friday. On the forecast track, its center is expected to begin drifting westward on Saturday and continue through Monday, bringing it just south of Jamaica early next week.

The National Hurricane Center says hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in Haiti on Saturday, while tropical storm conditions are expected to begin as early as Friday. Across the northern Dominican Republic, northern Haiti and western Jamaica, 3 to 5 inches of rain are expected through Sunday night. Flash flooding is likely through Sunday night, and more flooding may affect western Jamaica next week.

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