The president of the National Hotel & Tourism Association (Asonahores), Joel Santos says that all hurricane prevention protocols have been activated as the country’s hotels prepare to weather through Hurricane Irma and guarantee guest safety. The protocols focus on the critical areas of each hotel, internal movements of guests from one area to another, establishment of special activities and food services for inclement weather times.
“The hurricane protocols have been activated since yesterday (4 September 2017) with the priority of the protection of the clients and safety of tourists,” he told DR1 Travel News.
Santos said that evacuations are not contemplated given the great uncertainty of Hurricane Irma’s track. He recalled how in 1998 when Category 3 Hurricane Georges would hit the island, the forecast was for the storm to strike in the north. Several hotel chains evacuated their guests from their properties in the north to their properties in the south, and then the hurricane changed course and hit the south.
As of the early morning of Tuesday, 5 September 2017, the Dominican hotel destinations from La Romana-Bayahibe in the southeast to Punta Cana in the east, Samaná in the northeast and Puerto Plata in the north in the best scenario are expected to be affected by major rainstorms and hurricane strength winds and surf.
While unexpected, tourists finding themselves in the country for the storm are in for an experience of a lifetime. Some hotels have even habilitated storm rooms from where the wrath of the storm can be evidenced, a spectacle to be remembered for a lifetime. On the positive side, anyone can come to the Caribbean to experience lovely sunny days, but the probability of getting to sit out the spectacle of a storm is rare and makes for lifetime memories.
The DR1 Forums weather forecaster is located in Punta Cana. To follow the storm from a Dominican perspective, see the latest posts at DR1 Forums
5 September 2017
