Government asserts Dominican Republic’s readiness for 2024 hurricane season

Santo Domingo.- On Monday, President Luis Abinader presented the outcomes of the “Let’s Beat Dengue” initiative and announced the measures to address the upcoming cyclonic season.

President Abinader highlighted predictions indicating that this cyclonic season will be particularly active. He emphasized that the National Forecast Center is working around the clock to provide reliable information.

Phases of the Plan

For the cyclonic season, several phases have been established, including:

• Awareness Campaigns: Educating the public about predicted phenomena and preventive measures.
• Strategic Actions: Addressing situations caused by meteorological events.
• Care and Recovery Coordination: Supporting those affected with help from the central government.

Roles of COE and ONAMET Directors

Juan Manuel Méndez, Director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), and Gloria Ceballos, Director of the National Meteorological Office (ONAMET), detailed the country’s preparedness, which includes automatic weather stations, Doppler radar integrated into the Caribbean radar mosaic, and plans for awareness campaigns and strategic actions.

Let’s Beat Dengue

Minister of Public Health Víctor Atallah discussed efforts to enhance the health system’s capacity to mitigate and reduce dengue outbreaks, control vectors, and implement comprehensive management strategies. Key achievements include:

• Containers Eliminated: 981,933
• Homes Scrapped: 280,098
• Fumigations Conducted: 3,967
• Breeding Sites Found: 497,731
• Containers Treated with Larvicides: 453,888
• Mosquito Nets Delivered: 5,691

Epidemiological Comparison

Minister Atallah noted that the Dominican Republic ranks third in the region for the fewest dengue cases, with 840 confirmed cases. Puerto Rico and Costa Rica have even fewer cases. In contrast, Argentina leads with 177,945 cases.

Within the Dominican Republic, Santiago, La Vega, Moca, Puerto Plata, Nagua, San Francisco de Macorís, and Greater Santo Domingo have the highest number of reported cases. Puerto Plata is identified as the province with the highest risk.