Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the Caribbean, killing an elderly man in Haiti

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Melissa lumbered through the Caribbean Sea on Thursday, bringing a risk of dangerous landslides and life-threatening flooding to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — an island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Officials urged residents in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground.

The storm was blamed for downing a large tree that killed an elderly man in the coastal town of Marigot in southern Haiti, while five other people were injured in flooding in the central Artibonite area, according to the Civil Protection Agency.

The slow-moving storm was centered about 150 miles (245 kilometers) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 270 miles (430 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving north at 3 mph (6 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning were in effect for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.

The center warned that “catastrophic flash flooding and landslides” are anticipated in southern Haiti.

“The system is still moving very slowly,” said Michael Brennan, the center's director. “We are very concerned about the potential for multiple days of long duration wind, storm surge, heavy rainfall and flooding impacts.”

Melissa was expected to remain over open water this week, but move closer to Jamaica and southwestern Haiti in upcoming days. It was expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday and become a major hurricane by the end of the weekend, possibly reaching Category 4 status by Tuesday.

Hurricane conditions are possible within southern Haiti and across all of Jamaica starting late Friday or Saturday.

“The very warm waters and slow movement of this storm are a recipe for disaster,” said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert. “Rapid intensification into a Category 5 hurricane is not out of the question.”

Barbara Campbell, who works in Kingston, Jamaica's capital, said by phone that she has prepared her home and bought food and water ahead of the storm.

“I'm very worried,” she said.

In Jamaica, officials said that 881 shelters would be made available as needed. Courts were ordered closed and schools were switching to remote classes. Meanwhile, crews placed 1,000 sandbags in the eastern part of Kingston to prevent flooding from a nearby gully.

“Our main focus is to be prepared for what could be a very damaging storm,” Works Minister Roberto Morgan said.

Health Minister Christopher Tufton warned that Jamaica’s 325 health centers would close by Thursday afternoon, and that the storm could interrupt supply chains, including those of life-saving medication.

He said all hospitals are in emergency mode and have generators capable of providing power for up to 72 hours.

“It’s important that the public take the next couple of hours to prepare themselves,” he said.

Jamaica's government warned of upcoming power outages and noted it has already flown in dozens of additional line workers to help in the storm's aftermath.

Forecasters said Jamaica's eastern region could see up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain that could lead to flooding and landslides because the ground is already saturated from recent heavy rains unrelated to the storm.

"The system is still evolving," said Rohan Brown with Jamaica’s Meteorological Services. “We urge everybody to be vigilant.”

More than 100 people remained sheltered in the Dominican Republic, where schools, businesses and government agencies were closed in the nine provinces under alert. Dozens of water supply systems remained out of service Thursday, affecting more than half a million customers. The storm also downed trees and traffic lights and unleashed a couple of small landslides.

“People must remain in their homes for security reasons,” said Juan Manuel Méndez García, emergency operations director in the Dominican Republic.

Up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain also was forecast for southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic through Sunday with higher totals in some areas. Still more rain was expected after Sunday.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that “significant, life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides" were expected in Jamaica and southern Hispaniola.

People were concerned about the storm's impact in Haiti, which has been devastated by past storms given widespread erosion. Gang violence, poverty and weak governance mean storm preparations are limited.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, announced Thursday that $4 million was set aside to help more than 10,000 vulnerable people in Haiti before the storm. The money will go toward lifesaving evacuation support, cash transfers, emergency shelter management and water, sanitation and hygiene kits, the agency said.

Flooding is a big concern since Haiti reported 139 suspected cholera cases and five deaths in one week alone earlier this month after nearly three months of no cases. The bacterial disease is spread most often by consuming contaminated water.

“This outbreak is unfolding amid a severe deterioration of basic services in the capital, where only 11% of health facilities with inpatient capacity remain fully operational,” OCHA said.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this year.

The U.S. 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 (178 kph) or greater.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.

Associated Press reporter Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

This NOAA satellite image taken at 11:40 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, shows Tropical Storm Melissa in the Central Caribbean Sea. (NOAA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)