Tropical Storm Melissa brings flood risk to Haiti, Dominican Republic and Jamaica

MIAMI AP Tropical Storm Melissa dumped heavy rain on Hispaniola as forecasters warned Wednesday of a critical flood pitfall in parts of the Caribbean region in the coming days The rains snarled traffic in the Dominican Republic s capital Santo Domingo and games in the country s professional baseball league were canceled People in Haiti grew concerned over the possibility of heavy flooding which has devastated the country during past storms given widespread erosion Melissa had maximum sustained winds of mph kph early Wednesday and was centered about miles kilometers south-southwest of Port-au-Prince Haiti the U S National Hurricane Center in Miami declared It was moving west at mph kph A hurricane watch was in effect for southern Haiti while Jamaica was under a tropical storm watch Five to inches - centimeters of rain was viable in southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic through Friday with greater amounts in various areas Several inches also were expected in Jamaica with smaller amounts forecast for northern areas of Hispaniola Aruba and Puerto Rico More heavy rain was manageable past Friday and there was a important threat of flash flooding and landslides for the affected areas Melissa was forecast to gain strength gradually but the U S forecasters warned that its track and forward movement were uncertain and people in the region should remain alert