Yesterday, Tuesday 29 July 2014, President Danilo Medina inspected the area affected by a forest fire that has been burning for almost two weeks in the Juan Bautista Perez Rancier National Park in Valle Nuevo in Constanza.
Although it had not rained for months, when he arrived it was drizzling in the central mountain area but the President called on the workers not to slacken in their efforts to put the fire out.
Medina arrived unanounced at around 2:30pm, accompanied by Administrative Minister of the Presidency Jose Ramon Peralta. He spoke with members of the Ministry of Public Works and the Environment who informed him of the scale of the blaze.
Around 700 men are working with different equipment day and night to control the blaze. Medina arrived by helicopter at the control center area, which is close to the fire. He said that it had caused extensive damage, which will take time to recover, and promised to support this process.
National Fire Control director Jeronimo Abreu updated the President on the current situation and said that if there was some rain it would be under control in two or three days, but it could take as long as one or two months for the fire to be extinguished totally.
He said that the fire had been spread by strong winds of up to 60 kilometers an hour but that 80% of the forested area had not yet been affected.
Medina listened to the park rangers, who said that although the fire had affected 25% of the park only 5% was severely damaged.
President Medina spent 15 minutes at the control center and then left for Montecristi and Valverde (Mao), where he was inaugurating schools.
Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo said they were providing all the necessary equipment and teams, as well as a medical center. He said that twelve military patrols were also providing support.
Meanwhile the National Meteorological Office (Onamet) is forecasting more rain in the mountain area over the next 48 hours due to a weather front over the country. They also said they are keeping an eye on a low-pressure system 2,320 kilometers to the east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles, with a good chance of becoming a tropical cyclone over the next few days.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/7/30/331683/Danilo-Medina-visita-zona-desastre-en-Valle-Nuevo