With several provinces already under Red Alert, the National Meteorological Office (Onamet) and the Emergency Operations Center (COE) are placing several others under Yellow and Green alerts. The provinces subject to Red Alerts are Monsignor Nouel (Bonao), Sanchez Ramirez (Cotui) and La Vega. The agency is warning of the risk of flooding and landslides. In provinces like San Cristobal (Villa Altagracia in particular), and Monte Plata the COE has issued a Yellow Alert and several other provinces have been put on green alerts. In several provinces, dozens of communities have been cut off due to rising waters and many houses have been flooded. The COE has removed the small craft warnings from the Atlantic Coast between Cabo Engano and Manzanillo. Thunderstorms are expected to continue over much of the country, especially in the northwest, north, northeast, southwest and the central mountains. These conditions are expected to last for the next 48 hours.
In a related note, El Caribe reports that landslides in the area of La Cumbre have damaged several houses. The slides occurred where the road builders are trying to place rock-filled gabions to shore up the roadway. Houses were damaged in the city of Santiago, where the ground gave way in the area of Hoyo de Bartolo and the Canada del Diablo. The governor’s office and the subsidized cafeterias were distributing food to the people who were displaced by the landslides.