Over the weekend, heavy rainfall in the Dominican Republic claimed the lives of at least 21 individuals, including three children, as the country grappled with severe flooding and infrastructure damage. President Luis Abinader characterized the torrential storms as the “largest rainfall event ever” in the nation’s history, emphasizing the connection to worsening climate change. Abinader urged skeptics to acknowledge the reality of climate change, citing extensive and substantial damages without providing specific figures.
A tragic incident in the capital, Santo Domingo, saw a wall collapse onto vehicles on a major avenue, resulting in the death of nine individuals. The Ministry of Public Works attributed the collapse to water infiltration into a saturated subsoil, causing the foundation of the concrete wall to give way. Investigations into the incident have been initiated. Nine additional fatalities occurred in separate incidents in Santo Domingo on the same day, with others losing their lives after being swept away by floodwaters.
As a response to the crisis, approximately 13,000 people have been evacuated, and the majority of the country’s 32 provinces are under an alert designation. Widespread power and drinking water outages are reported, prompting the suspension of classes until Wednesday to assess affected schools and ensure the safety of students. Among the casualties, four are U.S. nationals, and three are from neighboring Haiti. The recent event follows the impact of storm Franklin at the end of August, which resulted in two deaths, one missing person, and the evacuation of around 3,000 individuals from hazardous areas in the Dominican Republic.
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