Before leaving for Madrid to participate in Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities (UCCI) meetings in Madrid, capital city Mayor Carolina Mejia activated the city’s Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Response Committee in anticipation of heavy rainfall. The move comes as the capital city prepares again after two consecutive Novembers with major flooding incidents.
Mejia is vice president of Social Policy and Welfare for the UCCI, a non-governmental, non-profit organization that promotes ties and cooperation between 29 major cities in Ibero-America.
Mejia’s trip to Spain would coincide with the mega damages caused by the flash floods, the result of freak weather phenomenon known as DANA on the Spanish city of Valencia. Around 491mm of rain would fall on that city in around eight hours on Tuesday, 29 October 2024, the equivalent to a year’s worth of rain, causing catastrophic damages and more than 90 deaths.
The flash floods in Valencia were caused by a destructive weather system in which cold and warm air meet and produce powerful rain clouds, a pattern believed to be growing more frequent due to climate change. The phenomenon is known locally as Depresion Aislada en Niveles Altos (DANA) and is similar to the weather system that caused the Dominican capital city flash flooding events in November 2022 and 2023.
“We have instructed the city’s general secretary, Elizabeth Mateo, who also serves as the committee’s executive director, to keep the committee in permanent session, along with the Fire Department,” Mayor Mejía stated before leaving.
The Mayor further emphasized the importance of preventive measures, such as cleaning drains and gutters to prevent flooding. “We have asked our teams to reinforce sweeping, cleaning, and trenching efforts to prevent our collectors from becoming clogged with garbage,” she said.
As a precautionary measure, the Municipal Police have been strategically placing barriers in known flood-prone areas to safeguard citizens.
Indomet meteorologist Christopher Emilio explains that the agency is monitoring a tropical wave in the upper levels of the troposphere that is currently affecting several provinces. He also noted the possibility of a tropical cyclone forming, which could bring intense rainfall to various regions of the Dominican Republic, including Santo Domingo.
Representatives from various government agencies, including the Ministries of Public Health and Environment, the National Institute of Transit and Land Transport (Intrant), the Red Cross, and the Superintendency of Electricity, were present at the committee activation meeting.
Read more in Spanish:
City Government of the National District
N Digital
31 October 2024