The Navy has eight warships in the region — three destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, a cruiser and a smaller littoral combat ship that's designed for coastal waters.

For the wider Caribbean, this year’s UN Day carries special resonance as we reflect on the powerful new compact forged recently in Kingston, Jamaica, at the Eighteenth Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP18) to the Cartagena Convention held from October 13-16.

The system was located over the central tropical Atlantic as of 1 p.m. Thursday, and forecasters said they expect it to continue moving west at 15 to 20 mph over the next several days. It could develop more once it reaches the warm waters of the Caribbean, forecasters said.

Margaritaville at Sea Islander made a last-minute itinerary change to steer clear of Tropical Storm Melissa, which is in the Caribbean Sea.