SANTO DOMINGO - Tropical Storm Ernesto became a hurricane yesterday, causing heavy downpours over the island of Puerto Rico, where almost half of its inhabitants have been left without electricity.
The Dominican Institute of Meteorology reported that the phenomenon, category I on the Saffir-Simpson scale, was located last night approximately 320 kilometers northeast of Puerto Plata and 290 kilometers east of Grand Turk Island.
It has maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers per hour and is moving northwest at 26 kilometers per hour.
This cyclonic phenomenon is expected to continue intensifying over the waters of the Atlantic as it moves northwest.
Hurricane Ernesto, indirectly, maintains its cloud cover over different sectors of the country, which generate rainfall with thunderstorms and gusts of wind, affecting provinces such as: La Altagracia, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, La Romana, San Pedro de Macorís, Samaná, Monte Plata, Duarte, Sánchez Ramírez, Duarte, María Trinidad Sánchez, Espaillat, Hermanas Mirabal, Puerto Plata, La Vega, Santiago, Monseñor Nouel, Greater Santo Domingo among others.
Due to the rains, alert levels and warnings remain in place for possible flooding of rivers, streams and ravines, as well as landslides and urban flooding.
Today, Thursday, the phenomenon will be further away from the northern part of the country, so a decrease in rainfall is expected in most provinces, where a clear and hot environment is expected throughout the day, except during the afternoon hours.
Canceled flights
The threat of Hurricane Ernesto has led to the cancellation of at least ten commercial flights at Las Américas International Airport.
Intercaribbean Airways had to suspend flights 410 and 411, both arrival and departure, to the British Isles.
For its part, Sky High Airlines cancelled flights 957 and 956 connecting the airport with the islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe, as well as Arajet flights 1033 and 1032, bound for the island of Saint Martin.
The situation also impacted JetBlue, which suspended flights 2537 and 2538, scheduled to arrive in and depart from San Juan, Puerto Rico. InterCaribbean Airways had also announced the cancellation of its flights to the British Isles last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Luis López Mena, Director of Communications for Aeropuertos Dominicanos XXI, considers it "crucial" that those planning to travel check the status of their flights before heading to the airport, contacting travel agents or airline staff.
With information from Listín Diario.
