Government declares regional disaster situation

Santo Domingo—President Luis Abinader declared a regional disaster yesterday due to the damages and effects caused by the rains and wind generated by a trough over the national territory.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Operations Center maintains 24 provinces on alert.

The measure is in decree 311-24 issued by the Executive Power yesterday. It cites the damage caused by the rains in the provinces of La Vega, Hermanas Mirabal, Espaillat, Duarte, Santiago, and other country areas.

It establishes that until the situation has been declared to have returned to normal, the Executive Branch may modify the declaration of disaster’s qualification and the special regime’s provisions to be applied.

The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) forecasts that today only local showers will be recorded in towns in the northwest and the Central Mountain Range, including La Vega, Santiago, and Santiago Rodriguez, mostly in the afternoon; in the rest of the country, the sky will be sunny, with increasing clouds and a grayish appearance due to an air mass and Saharan dust particles.

The COE keeps 24 provinces on alert due to the rains and wind that have been registered in the country during the last week. These have caused floods, overflowing rivers, streams, and creeks, and landslides.

The provinces of Puerto Plata, Dajabón, Santiago Rodríguez, La Vega, Samaná, Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, San Cristóbal, Peravia, San Pedro de Macorís, and the National District are on yellow alert.

In green are Monte Cristi, Valverde, Santiago de los Caballeros, Azua, Barahona, Pedernales, San José de Ocoa, Duarte, Sánchez Ramírez, and El Seibo.

Rains will be scarce in most of the country tomorrow, Sunday, due to anticyclonic circulation and dust from the Sahara.

A tropical wave approaching the country’s south will cause showers over several provinces.