Tropical storm Jeanne made landfall in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic yesterday, felling trees and power lines, causing houses to cave in and landslides that killed at least one child and injured nine others. At least three fishermen have been reported missing and are presumed lost at sea. Nearly 14,000 people were evacuated from their residences, sending 9,000 to public shelters and the rest to family and friends.
Hurricane-force winds affected the eastern provinces of La Altagracia (Higuey), El Seibo and Hato Mayor, while tropical storm winds affected the area near Nagua and Cabrera on the Northeast Coast.
The Ministry of Education announced the closure of schools in the eastern provinces, but most of the nation’s public and private schools were similarly shut down as the day dawned. In Santiago all schools and universities were closed as the center of Jeanne hovered off the North Coast as of 6:30am this morning.
In the eastern part of the country, the rivers Duey and Quisibani overflowed their banks and inundated the city of Higuey, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of families. Trees lay blocking many of the roads and in some areas none were left standing. In Hato Mayor, the winds knocked down power lines and the entire eastern part of the country was nearly blacked out when the winds toppled two high-voltage transmission towers near the Cristobal Colon sugar mill. AES repair teams are on the job today trying to restore power.
The resort town of Bavaro was cut off from the rest of the country when the Bavaro Lagoon overflowed and made the road to Higuey impassable. The airport at Punta Cana was closed yesterday morning, but managed to re-open in the afternoon.
As Jeanne crossed the Samana Peninsula into the Atlantic, ten-foot waves and hurricane-force winds battered the towns of Nagua and Samana. In some parts of Samana not one house escaped without damage. The entire area was without telephone service, for the most part, and thousands were evacuated from the lower Yuna valley. The government announced that food and shelter would be provided for the refugees.
Las Americas airport in Santo Domingo cancelled flights to and from Puerto Rico, but, in general, operations continued unaffected. In Puerto Plata, all flights were cancelled at the Gergorio Luperon airport and the port of Puerto Plata was closed down.
In the Cibao Valley, tiny rivers such as the Gurabo, Tamboril and Canca are overflowing their banks and the Yaque River is cresting at near-flood levels. The Diario Libre reports that hundreds of residents in Higuey did not heed the Civil Defense advisories and remained in their homes until the water “was up to their necks.” Civil Defense, the Red Cross and the Fire Department worked long hours to get these people into refuge centers at the governor’s office and various schools.
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