Aftermath of Hurricanes Irma & Maria

[LindseyKaufman]

Sorry I posted that you could cross the Jamao bridge. There has been so much vehicular traffic, all the caliche (dv8, please correct me again) has been crushed and beaten down to the point where the bridge is barely passable.

Tomorrow, I had hoped to cross the bridge to pick up a dear friend at the Santiago airport. I am no longer sure that the bridge is safe and need to consider whether it is more prudent to travel Jamao to Sosua to Puerto Plata to Santiago, making a 1 hour trip into 3 - both ways.

I do not recommend that anyone count on the Jamao bridge being passable in the near future.

Lindsey

 

[Cdn_Gringo]

Here's hoping that new express highway between Puerto Plata and Santiago goes ahead with all possible speed. It would not be fun to find the north coast cut off because of old and failing infrastructure.

 

[Timotero]

Sosua to STI airport.

Sorry I posted that you could cross the Jamao bridge. There has been so much vehicular traffic, all the caliche (dv8, please correct me again) has been crushed and beaten down to the point where the bridge is barely passable.

Tomorrow, I had hoped to cross the bridge to pick up a dear friend at the Santiago airport. I am no longer sure that the bridge is safe and need to consider whether it is more prudent to travel Jamao to Sosua to Puerto Plata to Santiago, making a 1 hour trip into 3 - both ways.

I do not recommend that anyone count on the Jamao bridge being passable in the near future.

Lindsey

Glad I decided to go via Puerto Plata on my trip to the Santiago airport then. (I usually take the Moca route over the Jamal bridge). 
That said, it took 90 minutes just to go from Sosua to the tunnel. Then another hour to the airport (via the bypass toll road). 
A lot of half completed road construction/maintenance projects along this route.  In a few places the "highway" was down to one lane for short stretches due to washouts. Plus something new.....numerous rumble strips between POP and the tunnel. 

 

[william webster]

discouraging news - the Jamao bridge.

how does one now get to STI from the north coast - Gasp Hern, RSJ, Cabrera, etc?

The route thru Nagua is a killer....

 

[AlterEgo]

Miches was hit hard by Maria, the govt. is reacting.

computer translated:

OFFICIALS| 02 OCT 2017, 12:00 AM

The Central Electoral Board installs a mobile unit in Miches

SANTO DOMINGO. The President of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Julio César Castaños Guzmán, moved with a delegation to Miches, El Seibo province, to continue the work of restoring the services of the Civil Status Office of that municipality, after the site was affected by the passage of Hurricane Maria near the northeast of the country.

In an act in which the senator of the province, Santiago Zorrilla, and other municipal authorities participated, a mobile unit was left operating that will offer all the services of the Official.

Castaños Guzmán indicated that, thanks to the effort made, the physical losses of books of acts of civil status were minimal, and showed the first book that had the Official, installed in the year 1900, which is intact, he said.

"But the most important thing is that 95% of these sheets are digitized, so there is no loss of information that can not be replaced or rebuilt."

Castaños Guzmán said that the service of the mobile unit will be provisional and that the processes for the construction of a JCE building have already begun, so that this community has a decent place.

https://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/politica/la-jce-instala-unidad-movil-en-miches-YK8286045

 

[windeguy]

Here's hoping that new express highway between Puerto Plata and Santiago goes ahead with all possible speed. It would not be fun to find the north coast cut off because of old and failing infrastructure.

I think we will be waiting a long time for that to be done.

 

[windeguy]

discouraging news - the Jamao bridge.

how does one now get to STI from the north coast - Gasp Hern, RSJ, Cabrera, etc?

The route thru Nagua is a killer....

Through Puerto Plata, Imbert, Navarette, etc..

 

[william webster]

Nagua and then across to Moca is rough.....and long.
Your way has the current other blockage issues...

Read ju10's post in North Roads Update...
an engineering report of sorts.

Fast rebuild in progress at Jamao...
Just loose/shifted footings , not a cross member structural issue - is his assessment

 

[Caonabo]

If allowed here, I was just wondering how long is that Jamao bridge, and what are some modern alternatives with a guestimate as to pricing for a replacement?

 

[william webster]

Length = maybe 40-50 yds....

New one under construction....

 

[william webster]

AFTERMATH

I arrived y'day - seeing my damage for the first time.

Relatively few issues other than trees/bushes.
An interesting observation -

My people tell me the wind started from the front and as it passed, the wind swung around to come from behind.
Our prevailing breezes are from the front.... during that phase of the storm we appear to have suffered little.

The problems came (as I see them) when the wind came from the weaker side of the plants....
they are unaccustomed to that direction..... roots support the prevailing wind, everything seems to.

I expected the opposite... the front wind was stronger - we are more exposed.
But , No - the back side.... we really took it in the rear - as they say !! hahaha

Anyway, just a comment.

Glad it wasn't worse

 

[AlterEgo]

NEWS| 06 NOV 2017, 12:00 AM |EDWARD FERNÁNDEZ

Collapse of three bridges keeps the community isolated in Santiago

Residents in the area risk crossing through improvised structures

SANTIAGO . The fall of three bridges over the Quinigua River, after the passage of the Irma and María cyclones, keeps hundreds of families isolated in the community of La Delgada, in the northwest of this city.

To be able to leave and enter the town, the residents built with their own resources several wooden structures, which are only enabled for the pedestrian crossing, as well as for motoconchistas who risk using them.

"We have no other option but to cross over here to look for the Moor," said motorcycle rider Pedro Almonte.

Other people consulted by reporters of this newspaper said that the situation is uncomfortable and have no other way to reach their destinations than crossing on foot through these places, since it is the closest terrestrial communication path they have to get out and get to La Thin.

They expressed the danger represented by the lack of such bridges for them, mainly students who have to leave to go to study centers. They asked the authorities to carry out those works that are of vital importance to them.

"We are calling on the Minister of Public Works, Gonzalo Castillo, to order that these works be done," Martha Martínez urged.

According to denounced, the authorities have only come to the town to make some films and photographic shots without initiating any repairs.

computer translated from: https://www.diariolibre.com/noticia...ene-aislada-a-comunidad-en-santiago-FF8520557

 

[mountainannie]

Have y'all been having a very WET rainy season down there? Here in South FL - or the "northern Caribbean" we have been getting just drenched... https://www.sfwmd.gov/weather-radar/rainfall-historical/year-to-date - seems as if there has not been one week since IRMA when there has not been a real tropical downpour...(I am 855 miles to the north of Sto Dom now)

I understand that Puerto Rico has been having the same as we have gotten. Have you down there in the DR missed this downpour? Blessed by some Taino goddess?

 

[william webster]

Torrential for the past couple of days....

inundated, swamped... drowning... gasping for air

not good

at least on the north coast

 

[Timotero]

Torrential for the past couple of days....

inundated, swamped... drowning... gasping for air

not good

at least on the north coast

Huh? Where is that? Been pretty dry here in the Sosua-Cabarete area for the past week or so. Only an occasional light shower. Nothing torrential (like in September!) 

 

[william webster]

Cabrera.....

 

[william webster]

all day Sunday... and Sat night & last night....

Short break Sun Afternoon... then back to the buckets

 

[cobraboy]

This is normal. It's rainy season.

Remember the flooding of last year around this time?

Same in FL, MA.

 

[william webster]

This was more than rainy ....

wacky wet.... for hours & hours... more than a day

 

[MikeFisher]

first,
the "rainy" season just started, it starts more or less when Hurricane season finishes.
how much water been received depends on which part of this big Island you are looking, as we seldom get wet all at the same time/in the same amounts of water.
the Hurricanes Irma and Maria been for example for the Eastshores here around Punta Cana a fairly dry happening, no waterloads to speak of received. specially Irma, that one went by completely dry, no rain to speak about, no floodings from Irma on this side of the Island.
since then we did not have any mentionable rainfalls, nothing else than the usual few times per week 5-30 minutes quick downpours, it is for very most time windfree or winds at least just on the lowest levels here on the East.
over all, a completely normal thing weather wise as would be awaited this time of the year.
last week we've been here light cloudcovered from sunday til last friday, but with very little rain during those cloudy days, as fact i enjoyed last week, no big heat, temps comfy 25-27C without a burning sun up in the skies, been perfect beach days to me and we spent most afternoons exactly there, down on the Beach.
this year so far, including what been received during Irma and Maria,
Punta Cana did not get anything swamped away, nothing worth to mention weather/water wise, with exception of the 4 morning hours of May 1st 2017, when it poured down torrentially full powers for about 4hrs straight on and the Airport here went land under, completely flooded for a few hours. but that May 1st was for the whole year so far the only mentinable event in case of rainfalls for this region.
what we had from late october 2016 til into the new year 2017 been exceptionally heavy rainloads, completely unusual for the DR at any time of the year. it was a one time event and it does not look like such event would repeat this Fall/Winter.
so far everything as normal as normal could be.

Mike