SANTO DOMINGO.-The Emergency Operations Center (COE) reported last night that the number of provinces under red alert has increased to 25, due to the passage of Tropical Storm Franklin, which according to predictions will bring significant rainfall accumulations to much of the Dominican territory this Wednesday.
Among the provinces marked in red on the weather map are La Romana and Samaná, two of the country's main tourist destinations, where 65 shelters have been set up to accommodate potential displaced people.
In La Romana, 58 shelters have been opened with a total capacity of 6,122 people. The shelters are located in the city center and in various neighborhoods, including the Caleta Municipal District, Villa Hermosa Municipality, Guaymate, Bayahíbe Municipal District, Boca de Chavón, and the Cumayasa Municipal District.
According to the director of that entity, Rafael Enrique Vicioso, since the province of La Romana was activated in red alert, they summoned the authorities of the province as a Prevention, Mitigation and Response Committee (CPMR), in addition to what they have been doing as an institution, such as public address announcements in the vulnerable areas of the entire province.
This is the map of the Dominican Republic as Tropical Storm Franklin approaches. (External source).
"Today (yesterday) we were visiting beaches, rivers and ravines that are close to the areas of responsibility for monitoring the increase in flow and the storm surges," he explained.
The sea is a bit choppy, and the Dominican Navy has been monitoring it, he said. Meanwhile, the rivers are currently maintaining low water levels.
Regarding urban flooding, he said that it has remained unchanged because in La Romana so far the rains have been minimal.
"Here in La Romana, a staff of 25 members will be on base at dawn, 15 in Villa Hermosa, and 10 in Guaymate to respond immediately to what this phenomenon might be directly affecting," he stated.
He commented that they began working with the "early warning" system on Sunday and held a meeting with staff at the provincial level. The meeting took place in the municipality of Villa Hermosa.
QR Code
A QR code has been placed at the entrance of the La Romana Governor's Office, at the Civil Defense headquarters and in Villa Hermosa so that citizens can find the exact location of all the shelters in the province.
So far, no one has had to be evacuated from vulnerable areas. Many have left voluntarily to stay with family and friends.
"We have been visiting Río Salado here, which is one of the most vulnerable areas, Buena Vista, the municipal district of Caleta, and on Saona Island as well. Many of its residents have voluntarily gone to the homes of family and friends, so we do not have people in shelters so far," he assured.
Seven shelters in Samaná
The Civil Defense of Samaná has opened seven shelters in vulnerable areas of the province in anticipation of potential displacement of people due to the effects that Tropical Storm Franklin could cause as it passes through the country.
The head of operations for the agency in the area, Ángel Hernández, reported that these places are located in the communities of El Valle, La Laguna and Arroyo Seco, which are usually flooded due to the rise of the San Juan River, the one with the highest flow in the area.
In addition, places have been set aside to house people from vulnerable areas, mainly in the urban center of the province, such as El Malecón, Zapatica, María Luisa, La Mezcla and Tesón, among others.
The various institutions that make up the Committee for Prevention, Mitigation and Response to Disasters have been informing residents in those areas about the location of shelters, so that they can be used preventively or in case of emergencies.
"Today we held the final committee meeting, alerting and informing all district and community authorities to be on the lookout for any new developments. All members of the Civil Defense are stationed in their respective locations to respond to the population in case of emergency," Hernández stated.
The central area of Samaná province, one of the 24 under red alert due to Tropical Storm Franklin, has had clear skies and some occasional drizzles during the afternoon of this Tuesday.
With information from Diario Libre.
Cover photo: Diario Libre.
