Dominican Republic: COE raises rain alert to 22 provinces; 30 communities cut off

Santo Domingo — The Dominican Republic's Emergency Operations Center (COE) raised to 22 on Tuesday the number of provinces under alert due to two troughs interacting over the country, while the rains have already left 30 communities cut off and nearly 486,000 homes without water, according to Diario Libre.

Civil Defense also reported the Soco River rising in El Seibo and flooding in San Pedro de Macorís, while the Las Cuevas River rise left communities partially cut off in Azua. In Greater Santo Domingo, rainfall totals reach 113 millimeters, and the National District city government deployed more than 500 brigades in response to the trough-driven rains.

The Ministry of Education (Minerd) is keeping classes suspended for Wednesday in vulnerable areas of provinces under yellow alert, a measure already applied on Tuesday. The Ministry of Labor, meanwhile, urged prioritizing employee safety amid the rains.

This update expands on Tuesday's report on the Indomet forecast that rains will continue until Friday, which can be read here: Dominican Republic: rains will continue until Friday, according to Indomet, and the COE keeps provinces on alert. The rains also disrupted sports: the Dominican Baseball League (Lidom) postponed all three of Tuesday's games, and the National District Basketball Association (Abadina) suspended Tuesday's top-division tournament games.

Authorities repeat the call to follow official bulletins, avoid crossing rivers, streams and flooded streets, and stay alert to warnings. In an emergency, the number to call is 911.

Photo: A Lo Claro Archive

Source: Diario Libre