Hurricane Melissa has escalated into a Category 4 storm, wreaking havoc across the Caribbean as it advances toward Jamaica and Hispaniola. The hurricane, moving at a sluggish pace of 5 mph, has already claimed three lives in Haiti due to heavy rains and landslides. In the Dominican Republic, a 79-year-old man was found dead after being swept away by floodwaters, while a 13-year-old boy remains missing. Angelita Francisco, a 66-year-old homemaker, described the devastation as she fled her flooded home, her belongings adrift in the rising waters. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warns of ‘life-threatening and catastrophic’ flooding and landslides, with Melissa expected to make landfall in Jamaica by Monday night or Tuesday morning, and southeastern Cuba by late Tuesday. The storm, currently 120 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 280 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, could unleash up to 40 inches of rain in some areas. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged residents in flood-prone zones to evacuate, while Norman Manley International Airport and all seaports have been closed. Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, following the destructive Hurricane Beryl in early July 2024.