2007 – Page 11

The country’s business associations are calling on the authorities to take urgent measures against the transport monopoly enjoyed by the Fenatrado trucking union. The associations argue that the monopoly increases transport costs and the National Council for Private Business (CONEP) is also encouraging its members to resist being cowed by the union this time round. …

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President Leonel Fernandez returned to Santiago over the weekend and announced some of the plans the government has for reconstructing damage caused by the floodwaters from the Tavera Dam. As part of the program, the President announced the construction of 600 houses in the Rafey and Bella Vista areas of the city, and the repair …

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President Leonel Fernandez has ordered the Navy to start work on the dredging of the Tavera Dam reservoir as well as all the other artificial lakes in the Dominican Republic. The President said that many of these lakes still contain scraps of wood and other debris left from Hurricane David in 1979. The President was …

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The conduct of the Rafey prison guards is being praised for having saved hundreds of lives during the flooding caused by the waters flowing from the opened gates at Tavera Dam. The Dominican Republic’s Attorney General, Radhames Jimenez Pena, told reporters from El Caribe that the heroic actions of prison staff deserved to be acknowledged …

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The north and north-central power utility EdeNorte is reporting that 955 of its circuits are back on line, after having been affected by Tropical Storm Olga. Felix Tavarez, spokesperson for EdeNorte, told El Caribe reporters that 121 electricity poles were damaged by the floods, and 21 transformers and 149 kilometers of the network of power …

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The number of people killed by last week’s storm was reported as 33 as of Monday morning. The National Emergency Commission (CNE) reports that over 61,000 people were displaced from their homes during the flooding. The CNE also is keeping a Red Alert in place for the provinces of Santiago, Duarte, Montecristi, Valverde, Maria Trinidad …

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The drama of flooded areas that was first seen in central Santiago de los Caballeros early last week is now happening in the lower Yaque basin, to the northwest. The towns of Mao, Guayubin and Castanuelas are struggling against the floodwaters, and thousands of acres of farmland are under water. Plantain and rice farms in …

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Even after the experience of running from the huge waves generated by Tropical Storm Olga, the residents of Villa Iris in Nagua have gone back to build houses on the beaches. People are walking along the beaches in search of the odd piece of tin roofing or usable piece of wood. They are rebuilding less …

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In a note that appears in Diario Libre, it seems that in one shelter for the victims of Olga in Santiago, what started off as 300 grew to 600 as aid arrived. Ten thousand meals are served each day to two thousand people housed in shelters, and besides the rations, the evacuees are also being …

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Today’s Diario Libre page two editorial is Adriano Miguel Tejada’s hard look at Tropical Storm Olga and the aftermath of opinions. Tejada starts off by praising the work of government recovery teams working after both TS Olga and its predecessor, Noel. It is understandable in the light of the presidential elections, he says. However, what …

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