As the nation celebrated the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy, the Patroness of the Dominican Republic on 24 September 2022, thousands of people were still without electricity and housing. As the numbers keep pouring in, it is evident that the government has a lot of work to do. At one point, the director of the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), retired major general Juan Mendez, reported that over 80,000 persons were without electricity and that Hurricane Fiona had heavily damaged over 8,000 houses as it passed over the eastern part of the country.
The Presidency declared eight provinces in state of emergency — La Altagracia, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, Samana, María Trinidad Sanchez, La Romana, Duarte, and Monte Plata. The declaration expedites government purchasing for damage assistance.
The Chamber of Deputies is now requesting La Vega, Santiago and San Pedro de Macoris be declared in state of emergency. There were significant damages much further inland and along the north coast, especially to farming.
The number of highways damaged (31), bridges (27), aqueducts (35), and streets ( 11) affected by the storm are a pretty good indication that Fiona will be long remembered. The head of the COE reported over 40,000 persons were displaced by the storm.
As a result of the destruction, President Luis Abinader called for a meeting of the entire political community in an effort to obtain a consensus regarding to work and the steps that the central government had to undertake. The result was, according to the newspapers, a resounding agreement to support the work to be done by all of the political parties, large and small.
One of the first places to receive assistance was Las Galeras, out on the tip of the Samana Peninsula. It was really hard hit, and the government is rushing to rebuild some 400 houses in the beach town. Jose Ignacio Paliza, one of the ministers closest to the President, assured the residents that trucks loaded with wood, zinc and nails were on the way to the town. As part of the aid, the minister told the coconut farmers in the area that the Agriculture Bank would be granting interest-free, 7-year loans to assist in the recovery of farming in the area. The hotels and restaurants in the area were also being assessed for damages. Most small hotels, including Villa Serena suffered major losses, and are closed for repairs.
The Ministry of Education says that most public schools will reopen in eastern provinces and Samana on Monday, 26 September 2022. The Ministry announced that in Higuey, one of the most hard hit cities, 175 public schools will reopen, and another 142 will do so gradually as repairs are completed. In San Pedro de Macoris, of the 489 public schools, 476 are reopening this Monday.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
El Caribe
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
El Nuevo Diario
Diario Libre
26 September 2022