The coincidence of a trough and a tropical wave have resulted in rains that have caused floods nationwide. The heavy rains have mainly been felt in the south and southwest and border provinces. Listin Diario reported that one person died in border province, Independencia.
The National Meteorological Office (Onamet) reported that from 29 May to 2 June 2023, the accumulated rainfall was a high of almost 300 millimeters of rain. Onamet, nevertheless, urges the population to continue to ration water as the drought is not over.
The mountainous regions on both sides of the Dominican-Haitian frontier in Jimani were drenched in torrential rains late last week, and the raging river Blanco or Solietter, which rises in the mountains of La Selle in Haiti, brought memories of the tragedy that struck the region back in 2004. The rising waters have “only” caused damage to building, infrastructure, and agriculture, and no lives have been reported lost.
The events of 2004, when hundreds of persons perished in the flash flooding are always present in the minds of the inhabitants. Dozens of persons in the Haitian town of Anse-a-Pitre were stationed along the riverbanks, positioned there in case of an emergency. Civil Defense units and members of the Specialized Corps of Frontier Security (Cesfront) were responsible for closing the gates at the border.
Some houses were flooded in the Dominican village of El Limon, but no loss of life has been reported in the area. The coastal waters around Pedernales were experiencing heavy wave action and there were reports that a small boat carrying many persons had capsized with loss of lives.
Social media carried many reports of flooding in Azua, San Juan de la Maguana, San José de Ocoa, Elías Piña, Barahona, Baoruco, Independencia and Pedernales provinces in the south and west. The rains caused damages to crops in the area.
From reports in Haiti Libre, the situation was worse in Haiti.
Onamet forecasts that the rains will continue this week.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
El Dia
El Caribe
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
Haiti Libre
5 June 2023