The small town of Tamboril, a center for tobacco processing and cigar manufacturing 15 kilometers east of Santiago de los Caballeros, was hit hard by a flash flood caused by torrential rainfall last Monday. According to newspaper accounts, the rain started at 5:30 in the afternoon, and at 6 pm, dogs started barking as if warning that something was about to happen. The normally tiny Licey River started to rise and soon burst its banks, filling streets and houses with muddy water. Civil Defense and firemen from Santiago and other communities rushed to Tamboril and started evacuation procedures, but entire portions of the town were cut off by the waters and several bridges were washed away. The municipal park in the middle of town was turned into a lake, a school was destroyed along with 1,770 houses that were totally or partially damaged. Dozens of cows, goats, pigs and poultry were lost as well. Transportation between Moca and Tamboril was cut, and the San Victor, Canca and Carlos Diaz neighborhoods were isolated by the once-in-a-century flood. Several lives were lost but the authorities do not have exact numbers at the moment. Civil Defense, the water corporation, Public Health and Public Works have all sent technicians to begin the recovery process.