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Calle urbana inundada por lluvias intensas con personal de emergencia trabajando
Imagen alusiva a las lluvias y las alertas vigentes por inundaciones y deslizamientos. · Erick Prometeo Media

Yellow alert held in twelve areas as rains continue

The Emergency Operations Center is keeping the National District and 11 other areas under a yellow alert due to rain, with accumulations above 200 millimeters…

--- The context --- Rain continues to affect much of the national territory in the Dominican Republic and, according to the forecasts cited by authorities, will extend through Thursday, although with less intensity toward Friday. The Emergency Operations Center is maintaining differentiated alerts by area while urban flooding, landslides and other situations linked to the weather conditions persist across affected communities. --- The facts --- The Emergency Operations Center is keeping the National District and 11 other areas under a yellow alert, while seven remain under a green alert. At a press conference held on Tuesday afternoon at the center's headquarters, the executive director of the Dominican Institute of Meteorology, Gloria Ceballos, reported that rainfall accumulations had already exceeded 200 millimeters at stations in the southwest region, while Greater Santo Domingo recorded up to 113 millimeters in 24 hours, as of 2:00 in the afternoon. Ceballos explained that the rains respond to moisture carried from the Caribbean Sea by southerly winds, combined with the influence of two troughs that are keeping the atmosphere unstable. She also specified that precipitation will continue during Wednesday and Thursday, although a reduction in intensity is expected starting Thursday, and that less significant rainfall is forecast for Friday. --- The positions --- The director of the Emergency Operations Center, Edwin Olivares, reported that the provinces of Pedernales, Barahona, Independencia, Azua, San José de Ocoa, San Juan, Monte Plata, Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal and Peravia remain under a yellow alert, in addition to the National District. Under a green alert are La Vega, San Pedro de Macorís, Monseñor Nouel, Santiago Rodríguez, Dajabón, Elías Piña and Hato Mayor. Olivares said response institutions are keeping their contingency plans active and that, after a meeting with the president of the Republic, instructions were given to expand preventive measures and reinforce actions in the highest-risk zones. He also indicated that the Armed Forces, Intrant, fire departments, Civil Defense, the Red Cross and the Ministry of Public Works remain deployed in affected areas, coordinating with provincial governments and prevention, mitigation and response committees, and that Public Works placed heavy machinery at strategic points to clear roads if rains cause obstructions. --- What remains unknown --- It is not yet known whether additional evacuations will be necessary or what the full extent of damage will be in the localities mentioned. In Azua, rains had persisted since the morning hours and authorities were evaluating the possibility of evacuating families in Los Rosarios if precipitation continued, while surveillance continues along the banks of the Ozama River as its flow increases. --- Unanswered questions --- How long exactly will the current alert levels remain in place in each area? Will it be necessary to evacuate families in Los Rosarios or in other vulnerable zones if the rains continue? How will the flow of the Ozama River evolve in the coming hours? What additional measures will be adopted if the expected reduction in intensity does not occur on Thursday? --- EPM analysis --- The central fact of this day is not only the alert level, but the combination of already affected ground, high accumulations and rain that is still continuing. With more than 200 millimeters recorded in the southwest and 113 millimeters in 24 hours in Greater Santo Domingo, the risk described by authorities includes rising waters, landslides in vulnerable zones and road obstructions, in addition to the urban flooding already reported in different places. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the immediate priority is to protect life and keep the population informed without lowering its guard, because authorities themselves warned that this is the moment when citizens cannot afford to be careless. Avoiding flooded streets, rivers, streams and swollen ravines, watching for possible signs of landslides and following only official bulletins are concrete measures that reduce preventable harm. The coordination announced across the 31 provinces and the National District must now be demonstrated through timely preventive evacuations, cleared roads and rapid attention where water has already left communities partially cut off.
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