At least 3 dead in Haiti as Tropical Storm Melissa brings heavy rain, devastating flooding

At least 3 people have been killed in Haiti as Tropical Storm Melissa causes devastating flooding in the Caribbean and meteorologists warn the storm could become a serious category 4 hurricane

At least 3 people have been killed in Haiti as Tropical Storm Melissa causes devastating flooding in the Caribbean and meteorologists warn the storm could become a serious category 4 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of "life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides" throughout Hispaniola, the island that makes up Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It will bring up to 14 inches of rain in the coming days and potentially the same amount to Jamaica, the NHC said.

"The rainfall is a huge risk with the storm," said Michael Brennan, director of the NHC. "Rainfall has historically been the biggest cause of loss of life of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Caribbean."

People place plastic tarps over their tents ahead of expected rain in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Thursday.Odelyn Joseph / APIn a 5 a.m. ET update the NHC said the storm was stationary about 165 miles south-south-east of Kingston, the Jamaican capital, and 175 miles south-west of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

A hurricane watch is in place and tropical storm warning is in place for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.