The Bishop of San Juan de la Maguana, Monsignor José Dolores Grullón Estrella that praised the good organization, solidarity of all, and the coordinated work of authorities, the Catholic Church and the people before and after the hurricane in an interview with El Siglo newspaper. He said that while the death toll is not yet determined, in his opinion, the deaths in this area are not as many as one would have thought in the beginning and those that have been speculated. "The first impression was that there were thousands of deaths, but I believe the great effort of all saved most lives," he said. After the tragedy of the flooding of the waters of the Yaque del Sur River, he said only 36 persons are reported still missing. He said there are 28 shelters in San Juan where some 13,000 persons are located. He said the victims will be relocated to a new location. He said, "In San Juan, we have been more concerned about the living, than the press has been about the dead." He attributed the losses of life to the almost impossible communication by radio and telephone with the capital city and the refusal of many to abandon their houses, primarily because of ignorance or disbelief in the magnitude of the danger, or of fear of theft of their family goods. He recalled that on Tuesday 22 September, when it was known that the hurricane was headed their way, all residents were alerted. All vehicles available in San Juan, including several trucks were placed at the disposal of the evacuation teams. He said these brigades met with rejection of many. He explained some said: "God will protect us," others locked themselves in so they could not be forcefully evacuated, others insulted the military and all those who tried to convince them. He said that the lack of communication caused the people to return to their homes on 22 September, when the winds stopped and from Santo Domingo they were told the hurricane was in Bonao. The people returned home from the shelters. He explained that he himself gave a lift to one of the persons returning home. Once he was made aware at 10 pm that the levels of the dam were rising dangerously, he notified the population by radio alerting them to remain or return to the shelters. It was at 2 am when the river waters flooded the barrios and the rescue operation began. He explained that the dam is built to drain naturally, and it was at 3 or 4 am that the dam began to overflow violently due to the volume of the waters. He does not blame the authorities; he explained that the dam makes possible farming in the area. The government is preparing a bill that would prohibit the human settlements in areas that can be flooded by rivers, including the Mesopotamia area of San Juan, whose tragedy Monsignor Grullón describes.
