Santo Domingo.- First response agencies in the Dominican Republic are bracing to deal with the powerful Hurricane Maria, which according to most models, would make landfall in the Dominican Republic on Thursday.
The National Weather Office (Onamet) issued a flash flooding alert for most provinces.
Hurricane Maria, located around 225 kilometers east of the Lesser Antilles, packs maximum sustained winds 120 kmh, with higher gusts and moves west-northwest at 24 kmh. Up to 12 inches of rainfall is expected, unleashing flooding and landslides.
For today the rains are forecast to continue over the northern part of the country, from of a high level trough.