Tropical Storm Melissaโฃ Threatens Jamaica and Hispaniola with Flooding
Tropical Storm Melissa is bringing the risk of heavy rainfall โขand flooding to jamaica andโ the island of Hispaniola, home to โขHaiti and the Dominican Republic, as it moves across the Caribbean โSea.the storm โformed as the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and poses a particular threat to Haiti, already grappling with a cholera outbreak, widespread poverty, andโฃ political instability.
The U.N. Office โคforโ the Coordinationโข of โคHumanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has allocated $4 million to assist over 10,000 vulnerable people in Haiti ahead ofโค the storm. This funding will support evacuations, provideโ cash transfers, and deliver emergency shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene kits. The concernโฃ isโ heightened by extensive erosion from past storms and limited preparation capabilities due to HaitiS ongoing challenges.
Flooding is a major concern โขin haiti,โข which recently reported 139 suspected cholera cases and โคfive deaths in a single week, following nearly three months with no reported cases. The bacterial disease spreads โคthrough โฃcontaminated water,โค and only โ11% of health facilities with inpatientโฃ capacity in the โคcapital are fully operational.
Melissa is the โfrist named storm to form in the Caribbean this year. The U.S. National Oceanic and โคAtmospheric Administration predictedโ an above-normal Atlanticโข hurricane season,forecasting 13 โto 18โ named storms,withโ five to nine becoming hurricanes-including two to five majorโฃ hurricanes with winds ofโค 111 mph โ(178 โkph) or โgreater. The Atlantic hurricane season runsโ from June 1 to November 30.