The Dominican Republic prepares for storm Laura; Abinader has an emergency plan

COE activates an emergency plan and will make mandatory evacuations to prevent flooding before Laura’s arrival.

Santo Domingo, DR

 President Luis Abinader ordered last night, in a mandatory and preventive manner, evacuations in vulnerable areas and under alert as a precautionary measure against the passage of tropical storm Laura through the DR.

The measure was announced at a press conference after the president finalized a meeting with the National Emergency Committee. The action was also taken to increase the red, yellow, and green alerts for 22 provinces. COE issued a red alert for nine provinces, yellow for five and green for another eight.

Provinces on alert

The director of the entity, General Juan Manuel Méndez, reported that the alerts for the provinces La Altagracia, Samaná, San Pedro de Macorís, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, Puerto Plata, Monte Cristi, Espaillat and Maria Trinidad Sánchez.

Meanwhile, the alert levels for the San Cristóbal, Sánchez Ramírez, Monte Plata, La Romana and Duarte provinces increased from green to yellow.

While it issued a green alert for the National District, Hermanas Mirabal, Santo Domingo, La Vega, Dajabón, Santiago, Monsignor Nouel and San José de Ocoa.

The director of the National Meteorology Office, Gloria Ceballos, assured during a press conference that the degree of impact that the country will have would be more forceful than that expected when it moved east-northwest.

Last night Meteorology changed from alert to a tropical storm warning from Cabo Engaño to Manzanillo Bay, which means that within 36 hours or less, the storm could affect those areas with strong winds, abnormal tides, high waves, and heavy rains. Very strong.

Instructions

Abinader also instructed relief agencies to protect Dominican families’ lives and property, before the passage through the country of storm Laura, by activating the Lightning Plan.

He ordered the Economic Canteens, the Social Plan of the Presidency, Public Works, the National Housing Institute (INVI), the Ministry of Defense, Civil Defense, and the Navy, to be ready to help the families.

THE WINDS

Movement

At 7:00 pm, Laura was located in Antigua’s eastern vicinity, Lesser Antilles, about 730 kilometers east-southeast of Cabo Engaño. It moves west at about 28 kilometers per hour, with maximum winds of 75 kilometers per hour.

Haiti on alert

Haiti also activated an orange alert yesterday and is preparing for the lash of heavy rains and gusts of wind, mainly in the north of the country.