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. Officials urged residents of flood-prone areas to seek higher ground.
Dozens of people were already in shelters in the Dominican Republic, and schools, businesses and government agencies were closed in the nine provinces under alert. Dozens of water supply systems were out of service Wednesday, affecting more than half a million customers.
