Torrential rains leave nearly thirty dead in the Dominican Republic

One year after the fateful floods of November 4, the Dominican Republic is once again experiencing the ravages of torrential rains. The meteorological phenomenon, which began last Friday and remains active, has left 21 dead, according to the Emergency Operations Center (COE).

Nine of the deceased died when the wall of a tunnel collapsed on an avenue in the Dominican capital. This caused the debris to crush several vehicles on Saturday night, causing these deaths. There are eight other people, who, according to a count carried out by the Dominican newspaper, Diario Libre, also died due to the meteorological phenomenon, although official confirmation from the authorities is needed.

Given this news, the Dominican president, Luis Abinader, declared three days of national mourning in honor of the fatalities recorded by the meteorological phenomenon. In addition, he announced that given the increase in torrential rains, they had decided to suspend classes in the country until next Wednesday, November 22, when the storm is expected to subside.

The torrential rains, which continue to affect the country, leave 29 of the 32 provinces of the Dominican Republic on alert. Of them, 14 provinces are on red alert, while another 12 are at the yellow level and 4 more are at the green level. According to authorities, at the moment, the number of homes affected due to the floods is 1,583 homes; 7,915 people have been evacuated to safer places, while nearly one and a half million users of the national energy system are without electricity due to power outages caused by the strong storm.