DR1 Daily News - Tuesday, 25 September 2018

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President Medina travels to NY for UN General Assembly
Wang Yi attends opening of the China Embassy
Wang Yi visits to prepare Medina’s trip to China
US Ambassador hosts first reception
Budget of RD$921 billion for 2019; RD$1.6 billion to computerize 2020 elections
Authorized Exporter approved for Europe
OMSA starts trial bus runs on Av. Abraham Lincoln
Senate approves IDB loans for US$170 million
Fenatrado 72-hour cargo strike on hold
Truckers will continue to evade tollbooths
Political Parties Law now limits elective positions to registered politicians
Fitch Ratings places AES Andres on watch
He was not a lawyer and he was not a nice person
Rest in Peace: Fernando Rainieri Soto
Cesar Medina passes away
Mariano Díaz wears Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt
Porno at Av. 27 de Febrero and Av. Abraham Lincoln
People recall the effects of Hurricane Georges
Earthquake of 5.2 felt in Montecristi
Tropical Storm Kirk dissipates



President Medina travels to NY for UN General Assembly
President Danilo Medina traveled to New York City on Sunday, 23 September 2018 to participate in the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations. He left on board a private jet from the San Isidro Air Base and landed at The Terboro Airport in Bergen County, New Jersey. He traveled with First Lady Candida Montilla, Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Administrative Minister Jose Ramon Peralta, Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero, press spokesman Roberto Rodríguez Marchena, and Jose Miguel González Cuadra, executive director of the La Barquita project, among others.

He was received in the US by Ambassador José Tomás Pérez, consul general in New York Carlos Castillo, permanent representative to the United Nations Francisco Cortorreal, among others.

This is the sixth time that President Danilo Medina has attended the UN Assembly that takes place in September each year when the 193 members meet in New York for a general debate. This is the first time the country participates as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

On Monday 24 September, it was reported that President Medina attended a meeting with 31 nations and US President Donald Trump on the combating of drug dealing.

Medina is scheduled to speak at the UN Assembly on Tuesday, 25 September in the afternoon.

https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...plia-agenda-de-trabajo-en-marco-73deg-periodo
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/medina-hablara-manana-ante-la-asamblea-de-onu-PP10864649
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...icipar-en-asamblea-general-de-naciones-unidas


Wang Yi attends opening of the China Embassy
On Friday, 21 September 2018, People’s Republic of China national anthem was heard in Santo Domingo as China formally opened its embassy. Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi headed the ceremonies for the Chinese government. Yi said that this was an historic moment and that the relationship between China and the Dominican Republic had opened a new page. The opening of the embassy comes a little more than four months after the two countries established diplomatic ties on 1 May 2018, following several years of trade exchanges.

The decision to establish ties with China brings Dominican foreign policy up to date, according to Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas, who said during the embassy opening that the Caribbean nation could not ignore a country that represents 20% of the global population and the world’s second-biggest economy. “It is a firm and giant leap forward in the Dominican Republic’s international diplomatic relations,” said Vargas.

As part of the inauguration ceremony, the foreign ministers unveiled a plaque and gave a toast to the new bilateral relations.

The Dominican Republic is a major importer of goods from China. There are expectations the closer ties will bring more balance to the relationship.

According to the executive director of the National Free Zones Council Luisa Fernandez, in October, a Chinese shoe manufacturer is set to open a plant at one of the Dominican Republic’s free zones, creating 4,000 jobs.

http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/x...re-china-opens-embassy-in-dominican-republic/


Wang Yi visits to prepare Medina’s trip to China
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Santo Domingo on Thursday, 20 September 2018 in the evening. He was received at the Las Americas Airport by Hugo Rivera, deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Dominican Ambassador in China Briunny Garabito Segura and China ambassador in the Dominican Republic Zhang Run.

Wang Yi made the stopover in Santo Domingo as he traveled to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly events.

On Friday, 21 September, Yi and Vargas signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Politics Consultations Mechanisms at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Foreign Minister Vargas said this is a first step for the carrying out of a joint work program. Vargas explained that bilateral trade, investment, tourism, cultural promotion and cooperation were discussed in meetings to prepare for President Danilo Medina’s trip to China at the end of October. Also discussed were matters of the United Nations Security Council. The Dominican Republic was recently elected to a seat on Security Council as a non-permanent member.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Yi noted that the Dominican Republic is the People’s Republic of China’s leading trade partner in the Caribbean. He assured that bilateral collaboration would be carried out on a base of equality and mutual benefit.

During his visit, Yi attended the inauguration of the People’s Republic of China embassy in the Dominican Republic. He also met with President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations said that Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ramon Peralta, Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero, Civil Aviation Board director Luis Ernesto Camilo, and other government officers attended the meeting.

In a speech on occasion of the formal opening of the Chinese Embassy, Wang stated that the relationship between China and the Dominican Republic has opened a new page and ushered in a broad and bright future. Wang said that after the joint efforts of both sides, the dream of establishing diplomatic relations between China and the Dominican Republic has finally come true. “This is a historic and exciting moment”, he added.

http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noti...-suscriben-acuerdo-durante-fructifera-jornada
http://www.ecns.cn/news/politics/2018-09-22/detail-ifyyehna1449988.shtml


US Ambassador hosts first reception
Coinciding with the arrival of China Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the newly-arrived US Ambassador Robin Bernstein hosted Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas and other guests at the US Embassy on Thursday, 21 September 2018. The ambassador had just returned after being summoned back to the US hardly a day after presenting credentials. The convening of the ambassadors to the Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador happened after El Salvador announced it was signing for full diplomatic relations with China.

Speaking at the event, Bernstein addressed the matter, explaining: “My recall was a strong gesture on behalf of my government that underscores how seriously we take the happenings of this hemisphere. My conversations last week were focused on what the United States can do to support strong, independent, democratic institutions and economies in this region to promote transparency and the rule of law. The reality is that our relationship with the region has matured. Our assistance has moved from the infrastructure projects of the 20th century to capacity building, citizen security, and economic growth.”

The ambassador emphasized: “We absolutely respect your sovereign right to determine your relationships but we hope that those decisions are being made with a clear eye toward the future and recognizing how those decisions affect your partners, your people, and your sovereignty.”

Speaking at the event, she again focused on the shared priorities. She highlighted that education, citizen security, commerce and disaster preparedness are at the top of the US Embassy’s priority list for collaboration. She said: “These ties mean that we must also work together to confront the shared challenges of transnational crime, natural disasters and disaster preparedness, and health and humanitarian assistance. We must work together to confront these challenges that cross borders and can destroy lives. I will work to safeguard and protect the safety and health of our citizens in both countries.”

The United States is the Dominican Republic’s leading trading partner, and the leading importer of Dominican goods. The US is also the leading source of travelers to the Dominican Republic. Likewise, the largest amount of remittances comes from Dominicans living in the United States.

https://do.usembassy.gov/ambassador-bernstein-welcome-reception-remarks/


Budget of RD$921 billion for 2019; RD$1.6 billion to computerize 2020 elections
The Council of Ministers approved at the end of last week the proposal for the 2019 National Budget that totals RD$921,610,000,000, or US$18.4 billion. This record sum is an increase of RD $105,247,000,000 that Congress approved for the fiscal year 2018.

According to the explanation offered by the Hacienda Minister Donald Guerrero, and the Budget director, Luis Reyes, of the total the government expects to collect RD$689,930,000,000 from local sources. Total government spending is estimated at RD$765,455,000,000 with another RD$156,354,700,000 allotted to service the national debt.

Guerrero told reporters and the ministers: “The National Budget was prepared with goal of reducing the fiscal deficit for 2019, projected to be 1.9% of the non-financial public sector debt and 1.7% in the central government. Budget director Luis Reyes explained that the budgetary proposal seeks to reduce the government’s deficit from 2.2% of GDP to 1.7% of GDP.

The budget projections are based on the forecast that the Tax Agency (DGII) and the Customs Agency (DGA) will increase their collections by 4% of GDP, or RD $16 billion through better management. To facilitate the tax collections, the government is allotting RD$2.1 billion to the DGII and RD$850 million to the DGA to increase their efficiency.

One of the interesting items noted in the Diario Libre feature in the next-to-last paragraph that states that RD$1,608,000,000 is allotted for the purchase of new equipment and computer applications for the 2020 elections and an additional RD$500 million is allotted for the organization of the municipal and congressional and presidential candidates in 2020.

https://www.diariolibre.com/economia/presupuesto-de-2019-aumentara-en-rd-105-247-millones-PM10858667


Authorized Exporter approved for Europe
Dominican exporters can now qualify for the Authorized Exporter for Origin Purposes Certificate, a trade facilitation mechanism intended to boost farm exports to European markets. The mechanism was created in 2009 under the Cariforum-European Economic Community Partnership Agreement (EPA), but had not been implemented. An Authorized Exporter can now present an invoice declaration or other commercial documents for the entry of products into the European Union.

The certification program was announced as part of National Customs Day, celebrated on 21 September 2018, with the participation of Customs director Enrique Ramírez Paniagua, Ambassador Gianluca Grippa, head of the Delegation of the European Union in the country, and the president of the Dominican Association of Exporters (ADOEXPO), Luis Concepción.

Speaking at the event, Ramírez Paniagua noted his satisfaction of having implemented the program that Customs had worked for so many years to put into effect; "To progress is not simply acting, one has to have a purpose in the actions. That is why it has been a priority project of the Customs Agency to contribute to trade facilitation,” he said. The government named 2018: Year of Export Promotion. "

https://noticiassin.com/aduanas-implementa-figura-del-exportador-autorizado/


OMSA starts trial bus runs on Av. Abraham Lincoln
The Metropolitan Office of Bus Service (OMSA) announced late last week that they were beginning trial runs on a new route up and down Abraham Lincoln Avenue in Santo Domingo. The trial runs are to test whether this route is viable and sustainable in order to make it official. Through a press release, the OMSA office said research is ongoing on the route.

The pilot transport route has buses departing from the OMSA parking lot in Los Rios to service passengers along many of the major avenues of the National District from north to south, such as República de Colombia, Los Próceres, Abraham Lincoln, Correa y Cidrón, Paul Harris and then back up Abraham Lincoln from south to north along a similar route. The press release notes there is no regular public transport bus service on the Av. Abraham Lincoln, so the new route would meet the needs of thousands of employees that work in the area.

The experiment is part of a series of studies by the National Institute of Traffic and Ground Transport (Intrant) together with a group of institutions that are seeking to improve public transit in the National District. The announcement was made during what the agencies are calling “Sustainable Mobility Week” that also includes orientation on the use of the metro, the cable cars and bus service in Greater Santo Domingo.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...loto-en-la-avenida-abraham-lincoln-CM10857027


Senate approves IDB loans for US$170 million
During the 19 September 2018 session, the Senate approved a US$150 million loan to finance the Government Sustainable Agroforestry Development Program. The program, a collaboration of the Technical Executing Unit of the Agroforestry Development Projects (UTEPSA) and the Ministry of Public Works, will be implemented in seven provinces: Elías Piña, San Juan, Azua, Independence, Bahoruco and Barahona. The goals of the program are to reduce poverty, improve environmental conditions of the intervened zones, restore public lands and reform the technical capacity of farmers to adopt sustainable agroforestry technologies. During the session in which the loan was approved, senator Rafael Calderón said the funds will help reforest more than 20,000 hectares, with lemons, avocado, coffee, cocoa, among other cash crops.

A second loan, for US$20 million was approved to fund the Ciudad Mujer project, to be implemented by the Presidency’s Social Policy Coordination Office under Vice President Margarita Cedeño. It aims to build and operate training centers to improve the living conditions of girls 10 years old or older who live in Greater Santo Domingo and Santiago. In addition to providing new skills to women, the center will also target young girls and women in programs of sexual health, reproduction matters, sex victimization, teenage pregnancy, family planning and personal finances. US$15.5 million will go to build and equip the new centers.


Fenatrado 72-hour cargo strike on hold
Government negotiators convinced National Federation of Dominican Transportation (Fenatrado) to desist of the nationwide cargo 72-hour strike they had called to start Tuesday, 25 September 2018 at 6am. Fenatrado is the nation’s largest freight hauling syndicate and has grown by using force to impose a practical monopoly on cargo transport with the lenience of government. The announcement was made by Ricardo De los Santos, the president of Fenatrado.

Participating in the meeting in which the decision was taken were Presidency Minister Gustavo Montalvo; Police director, Major General Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte; Defense Minister Lieutenant General Rubén Paulino Sem; National Investigations Agency (DNI) director, Sigfrido Pared Pérez, and National Institute for Traffic and Ground Transport, Franchesca de los Santos.

During the meeting, it was agreed that Fenatrado negotiators would meet weekly with Minister of the Presidency Gustavo Montalvo to discuss matters of interest. Also participating in the meetings that would start on Thursday, 27 September 2018 are representatives of the Ministry of Public Works, the director of Intrant, and a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Los Santos had argued they sought the government authorities take measures to compensate the truckers for the disproportionate and continuous increases in fuel prices, especially diesel, gasoline and LPG. The syndicate leader said that at the present time it is impossible for the 30,000 truckers to continue working because they are expending 60% of their income on fuels. He said that there is no justification for price increases if the price of a barrel of crude oil goes down on the international market from any level such as US$75 and reaches US$68, that in this country the price of fuel goes up. Los Santos said he did not know what methodology was being used by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mipymes to establish the prices of fuel.

http://elnacional.com.do/video-para...sde-el-martes-por-3-dias-transporte-de-carga/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...por-el-dialogo-con-gobierno-y-desiste-de-paro
http://eldia.com.do/el-gobierno-y-fenatrado-acuerdan-suspender-paro/


Truckers will continue to evade tollbooths
Truckers from the National Federation of Dominican Transportation (Fenatrado) said truckers would continue to take the detour around the tollbooths on the Santo Domingo Beltway between the Autopista Duarte and the 6 November Highway. Ricardo de los Santos, the Fenatrado president, criticized as too expensive the tolls truckers have to pay on the beltway. He criticized the “backward thinking” of the government. De los Santos said: “In the big cities around the world, beltways are built to relieve traffic in busy city centers. But here they are built to raise money for the government. We have asked the Ministry of Public Works to review and lower the cost of the tolls on these roads. Regrettably accidents are going to continue happening,” he said. He told reporters Fenatrado truckers would continue to use the detours.

A trucker recently killed two students when passing through a small town when taking the detour. Diario Libre published the photo of the detour that is 7.5 kms long, while the beltway distance is only 3.5 km long and takes 17 minutes less than going by way of the detour. The use of the beltway costs the trucks RD$358.

https://www.diariolibre.com/economi...ose-por-altos-costos-de-los-peajes-EN10846435


Political Parties Law now limits elective positions to registered politicians
Art. 49 of the Political Parties Law 33-18 makes it obligatory for a person to be a member of a political party in order to run for office in the general elections. This is a new requirement beyond those established in the 2015 Constitution for the positions of president, vice president, legislator and city government officer.

The president of the Central Electoral Board, Julio Castaños Guzman said that for instance, under that criteria, a politician such as the late Vice President Carlos Morales Troncoso could not have run for office. He said the ruling hinders many members of the civic society from being eligible to run for office. He understands the precept violates the Constitution.

Castaños made the observations when speaking during the panel on "Constitutionalization of politics, advances and challenges in the Dominican Republic, organized by the Constitutional Court as part of the 4th International Congress on Law and Constitutional Justice.

While Art. 49 has yet to be contested for being in violation to the Constitution, lawyer Namphi Rodríguez is already taking the Political Party Law to the Constitutional Court arguing that the clause 44.6 that bans “negative” remarks from being made in social media on political hopefuls is not legal.

Lawyers Miguel Valerio and Ramón Emilio Núñez understand that the Political Parties Law violates the Constitution in matters of requirements to run for elective office, political parties’ right to organize themselves, and freedom of speech, as reported in Diario Libre. In the same story, lawyer Eduardo Jorge Prats observes that the declaring as in violation of the Constitution of different articles of the law does not annul the entire law.

Former National District prosecutor and presidential candidate, Guillermo Moreno writes in Diario Libre on several of the articles of the new law that are in violation of the Constitution.

https://www.elcaribe.com.do/2018/09...-nuevos-requisitos-por-ley-para-candidaturas/
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...iculos-de-la-nueva-ley-de-partidos-PP10864029
https://www.diariolibre.com/opinion...l-antidemocratica-y-contradictoria-MP10865966


Fitch Ratings places AES Andres on watch
Fitch Ratings placed Dominican Power's long-term national rating S.A. (DPP) 'AA (sun)' in Negative Observation. Likewise, it placed in Negative Observation the rating of its issuance of corporate bonds of 'AA (dom)'. The rating action incorporates the unplanned shutdown of its sister company AES Andrés that suffered an accident on 3 September 2018 supposedly when it was struck by lighting. There is no date for the plant to re-enter the national electrical grid.

As reported by Fitch Ratings, DPP and Andrés jointly guarantee an international issuance of USD270 million due in 2026 (rated by Fitch on an international scale in BB-), which relates the credit profiles of both companies.

Last week, Fitch Ratings risk assessment firm had already reported that it was placing AES Andres on a negative watch list while it decided whether or not to reduce its investment grade after the exit of the generating system supposedly do to a lightning strike.

Fitch said: “This action regarding the investment grade affects US $270 million in payments to be carried out in 2026 that have been graded BB, which have also been placed on Rating Watch Negative.”

The negative observation by Fitch means that the electric company has a 50% chance of seeing its investment grade reduced over the next three months, depending on the advances that are to be seen in its situation and it “reflects the uncertainty with regard to the financial impacts in the short-term of a lightning strike which knocked out the generation units of AES Andres on 3 September.”

The risk assessment firm pointed out that the company has insurance for the interruption of business because of damage to the property but that until the technical evaluation of the damage is not completed, the related costs and the duration of the interruption of the facility are not clear.

Fitch said that it would be necessary to determine the responsibility of AES Andres under its existing PPAs, which provide exceptions for overwhelming force/force majeure, or acts of God. (PPA = Power Purchase Agreement).

Dominican authorities from the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) have stated that AES Andrés is liable for the additional cost of energy purchases because of the shutdown of its facility because of an overwhelming event inside of its facilities and this represents an exception to their contract.

https://www.fitchratings.com/site/pr/10045513


He was not a lawyer and he was not a nice person
Late last week there were headlines about a “lawyer” who was found in his car dead of several bullet wounds. The National Police reported over the weekend that Feliz Manuel Lorenzo Pula, who was found in his car on the Santo Domingo Beltway, was not a lawyer, although he passed himself off as one. Lorenzo Pula was found dead last week in a Honda Civic where the police found personal documents and legal papers. The police investigation continues to establish motive and participants in the crime.

The National Police explained that during the course of their investigations regarding this homicide they found that Lorenzo Pula, 29, had a criminal record and was supposedly serving an eight-year sentence for violating Drugs Law 50-88. The Police explained in a press release that Lorenzo Pula was out of jail on a permit granted by the judge in charge of his case.

The National Police revealed that during their investigation they also established that Lorenzo used a judicial toga, property of his mother, and passed himself off as a lawyer.

http://www.policianacional.gob.do/p...o-en-avenida-circunvalacion-de-santo-domingo/


Rest in Peace: Fernando Rainieri Soto
42-year old Fernando Rainieri Soto did not survive the severe injuries received when crashing into the protective barrier alongside the Autovía del Este (between La Romana and San Pedro de Macorís). He was returning to Santo Domingo from Punta Cana. As reported, he was avoiding a minibus that had crossed over into his lane. He was one of the leading fast food businessmen in the country, handling the operations of Wendy, Sbarro, Pizza Hut, Chilli’s and other international chains. Local operations had received many international awards.

He died on Thursday, 20 September 2018 at 4:40pm at the Cedimat hospital. He was the son of former Minister of Tourism Fernando Rainieri Marranzini who passed away in 2015, and nephew of Punta Cana Group president, Frank Rainieri. He is survived by his mother Pilar, brother Giovanni, his wife Yinet and two sons, Fernando and Luca.

http://hoy.com.do/fallece-sobrino-del-empresario-frank-rainieri-tras-accidente-autovia-del-este/


Cesar Medina passes away
Controversial TV journalist Cesar Medina died on Thursday, 20 September 2018, of liver cancer. He had received treatment at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. At the time of his death he was vice minister of bilateral foreign policy for the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

http://hoy.com.do/quien-fue-cesar-medina/
https://desdelarepublicadominicana.blogspot.com/2014/12/cesar-medina-millonario-en-cinco-anos.html
http://hoy.com.do/muere-el-periodista-cesar-medina/


Porno at Av. 27 de Febrero and Av. Abraham Lincoln
The city government of the National District ordered the shutdown for a week of the digital outdoor billboard located on Av. 27 de Febrero and Av. Abraham Lincoln after the latter turned the heavily trafficked intersection into what many describe as “porno theater”. The ADN ordered the company be fined with RD$500,000 and the matter be investigated. Initial reports are that the billboard was hacked.

http://eldia.com.do/ordenan-apagar-...aba-video-porno-en-la-27-multan-propietarios/


Mariano Díaz wears Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt
Former Dominican Republic national soccer team member, 25-year old Mariano Díaz Mejía, now playing for Spain, is under the spotlight of soccer press as he reaches new high levels of excellence in play. Born in August 1993 in Barcelona of a Dominican mother and Spanish father, Mariano plays for the Real Madrid as a striker. Recently, Real Madrid carried out the gesture of giving him the No. 7, the shirt used by the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo.

Team fans celebrated the inauguration of the shirt after Mariano scored his team’s third goal during a Group G Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Roma at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, 19 September 2018.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/so...w-no-7-mariano-díaz-is-one-to-watch-1.3636081
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...no-impressed-Real-Madrid-Spain-call-next.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...es-Real-Madrid-shirt-completing-30m-move.html
https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/article218713500.html
https://www.metrord.do/do/deportes/2018/09/20/mariano-diaz-efectivo-letal-ataque-real-madrid.html


People recall the effects of Hurricane Georges
Twenty years ago last Saturday, 22 September 2018, the Dominican Republic, especially the East and South, was devastated by Hurricane Georges. Reporters of Diario Libre interviewed several people about their recollections of this hurricane that killed nearly 300 people and caused severe damage to the country’s economy, farming and the nation’s infrastructure including bridges, houses, schools, streets and avenues.

Paola Sanchez, was 13 years old and living in the town of Tamayo, in Bahoruco province in the Deep South. This area was practically buried by the mud carried in the runoff of the rains and took months to get back on its feet. Paola told the reporters that “where ever there was a roof, there were people.”

She went on to say: “We knew a hurricane was coming, but we were very poorly informed. We didn’t expect that the impact would be that strong. I was frightened when it got so dark and it was only two in the afternoon when it began to rain. I remember that the rain never stopped. About 10 the next morning, the rumors were that the dam above the town was overflowing and they were going to have to open the floodgates to relieve the pressure and nobody knew if this was real. But when a lot of people came running from up the river we realized that they were really going to open those floodgates and it happened so fast that when the water began to flow and I crossed the street from my house to a building called La Torre, which is four stories tall, the water almost took me away as I crossed the street.

“I was the only one in my house across the street because they didn’t want to leave my grandmother alone and she said she wasn’t going to leave her house. And when I went upstairs and just a question of minutes the town began to be flooded at a speed that no one could believe. My grandmother was taken out of the house in a chair that they put on a table, and when they couldn’t continue in this way because the water was reaching her, they went into the backyard where they were building a bathroom, as small concrete surface with a small roof and there were like 15 persons including my grandmother, my father and my uncles on top that roof. This little building was the only safe roof that they could reach quickly.

“It never stopped raining. They were there for hours, we’re talking about like from 6 o’clock in the afternoon. All night they were there getting wet in the rain. From the fourth floor of the building across the street I could see the entire town, there were no tall constructions, I was in the tallest one. There were people in the trees. In the park there is a bandstand and there were people on top of it and on top of any roof that was made of concrete.”

In other areas, such as La Romana, the Casa de Campo Hotel many villas lost roofs, and the destruction in San Pedro de Macoris was huge.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...n-georges-al-cumplirse-hoy-20-anos-IM10857791


Earthquake of 5.2 felt in Montecristi
Early on Sunday morning there were three earthquakes, including one measuring 5. 2 on the Richter scale on the northwest line from Santiago to Montecristi. They were felt in the Cibao area, and the northwest creating panic and awakening many people.

The National Seismological Center (CNS) at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) reported that the first measured 4.3, at 1:35am with its epicenter in Guayubín that is on the road from Santiago to Montecristi, past Esperanza. The second was a 5.1 at 1:45 in the morning in Villa Vásquez, also in Montecristi.

The third was a 4.3 at 3:23 in the morning also in Guayubín, according to the Dominican earthquake center.

The shakes would continue, with a replica at 3:23am with intensity of 4.1. Others would happen in the area but with intensities that are hard to be felt.

The Center of Emergency Operations (COE) reported that the shake was felt best in Montecristi, Valverde (Mao), Monseñor Nouel (Bonao), La Vega, Santiago and Puerto Plata. It caused minor cracks in hospital, schools and homes in the area.

The authorities have so far reported damage to the municipal hospital of Villa Vasquez, and ten schools while no injuries to people or deaths were reported. The damaged schools are the Juan de Jesús Reyes high school and the schools of Graciela Reyes Tineo, El Motocros, Juan de Jesús Reyes, Pericles Bienvenido Diana, Paul Harris and Juan Isidro Pérez all in the same area.

In the municipal district of Jicomé the primary school was damaged and in the municipal district of El Palo the Damajagua primary school was damaged and in the municipal district of Cana Chapetón, there was damages to the public high school.

https://listindiario.com/la-republi...la-tierra-tiembla-mas-de-14-veces-en-noroeste
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...ada-de-este-domingo-en-montecristi-GP10862712
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...s-sacudio-gran-parte-del-cibao-esta-madrugada
https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/se-registran-mas-de-30-sismos-menores-en-montecristi-CO10871201


Tropical Storm Kirk dissipates
According to the National Meteorological Office (Onamet) a high-level weather front will bring storms and rains to the southeast, southwest, central mountain range and the border zone.

In addition Onamet had been keeping an eye on the newly developed Tropical Storm Kirk that was south west of the Cape Verde Isles and moving to the west at 30 kilometers an hour. Luckily Kirk dissipated on Monday, 24 September 2018.

In addition Onamet says that there are two areas of low pressure in the Atlantic, one south of Bermuda with a 30% probability of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 24 hours and the other south west of the Azores with a 60% chance of becoming a tropical cyclone. Neither would affect the Dominican Republic.

Onamet also highlights high waves on the Atlantic Coast and recommends small and medium sized boats to remain close to shore.

https://listindiario.com/la-republi...mercedes-kirk-se-degrada-a-depresion-tropical
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...igila-la-tormenta-kirk-y-otros-tres-fenomenos