President Luis Abinader toured the northeast to see for himself the damages caused by very heavy rains over an extended period of time over the Independence Day long weekend. Residents in the town of Gaspar Hernandez in Espaillat province were the most impacted. The town lies between Cabarete and Rio San Juan.
The entire area experienced urban flooding, but in Gaspar Hernandez, it was catastrophic. Cars and small vehicles were swept away.
Previous alerts by the Center for Emergency Operations did not really prepare the region for the dowsing that came with these rains. The newly installed Puerto Plata weather radar did not make a difference in early warnings.
The Dominican Red Cross issued their Bulletin #7 on Saturday, and they reported that more than 3,200 houses and commercial establishments had been affected by the flood waters, and over 16,000 persons had been displaced. Over 1.25 million people were left without drinking water.
According to the report, the north coast provinces of Maria Trinidad Sanchez (Nagua), Espaillat, and Puerto Plata were the most impacted by the rains. In Puerto Plata, some 1,500 houses and buildings were damaged. In Gaspar Hernandez, the sectors known as El Caiman, Villa Hermosa, Villa Magante and the city center were the hardest hit. Photos showing cars upended and overturned were seen throughout the Internet. The Red Cross has over 500 volunteers in the area, assessing damage, and providing assistance.
A media report indicates that as part of the events for the Gaspar Hernandez damages, a crocodile housed in a tourist attraction in the Islabon area, was captured in the Playa Encuentro area on the coast.
Read more in Spanish:
Noticias SIN
Diario Libre
El Caribe
El Caribe
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
DR1 News
2 March 2026