Melissa saturates Dominican soils, forcing alerts in popular tourist regions

Santo Domingo.- The government announced that work will remain suspended this Friday in provinces under red alert due to Hurricane Melissa, which continues to affect the country with heavy rainfall. Authorities described the storm as an event that must be monitored closely.

The tourist province of La Romana is on red alert, along with Barahona, San Cristóbal, Santo Domingo, the National District, San José de Ocoa, San Juan, Azua, Peravia, Pedernales, San Pedro de Macorís, and Monte Plata.

While La Altagracia , which has the country’s main tourist destination: Punta Cana , is under yellow alert, as are La Vega, Hato Mayor, El Seibo, Samaná, Monseñor Nouel, Sánchez Ramírez, Elías Piña, Independencia and Bahoruco.

Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Emergency Operations Center, emphasized that the storm must be followed minute by minute, warning that continued rainfall is a concern due to saturated soil, which increases the risk of flooding and landslides.