In his latest unannounced but now customary outing, President Danilo Medina visited San Francisco de Macoris over the weekend of Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 January and travelled to the Lower Yuna area where he spoke to farmers’ groups about the recurring problem of flooding. Every time it rains heavily in the eastern Cibao Valley, major flooding affects the Lower Yuna area. Medina called on the Public Works and Agriculture ministries to dredge some 20 kilometers of the riverbed to remove decades of sedimentation buildup in order to allow the river to drain quickly. Soila Paniagua, the Hoy reporter who covered the President’s trip said that he spoke to farmers in the Limon de Yuna and Aglipo II projects and ordered work to be started on the river.
The President also visited the city of San Francisco de Macoris where 17 stores in the historic town center burned down last week. He offered government help to the affected storeowners.