STORM-ERIKA/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Tropical Storm Erika lashes Dominican Republic, heads for Florida

Record ID: 142212

  • Title: STORM-ERIKA/DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Tropical Storm Erika lashes Dominican Republic, heads for Florida
  • Date: 29th August 2015
  • Summary: SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (AUGUST 28, 2015) (REUTERS) EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE CIVIL DEFENCE FLAG COMPUTER IMAGE DISPLAYING POSSIBLE ROUTE FOR STORM SOLDIER OBSERVING PATH OF STORM ON COMPUTER GENERAL VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERAMAN FILMING SOLDIERS AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY OPERATIONS COMMITTEE (COE), GENERAL JUAN MENDEZ, AND OPERATIONS CHIEF, EDWIN OLIVARES (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) METEOROLOGIST, FRANCISCO HOLGUIN, SAYING: "An advisory has been issued for the complete breadth and length of the coasts and national territory which means that this is one of the effects associated with this phenomena from the three (elements), wind, rain and storm which will be felt on the southern coast, on the eastern coast and the western coast of the country." HEAVY COASTAL SEAS HOTELS DOCK AREA RESIDENTS IN HEAVY WIND POLICE COLLECTING BRANCHES FROM PALM TREES VARIOUS OF COASTAL AREA WITH HEAVY SURF STRONG WAVES
  • Embargoed: 13th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Dominican Republic
  • Country: Dominican Republic
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAC4EVMCGAHZ9T8BTIPDUXR85VU
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Tropical Storm Erika threatened the Dominican Republic with heavy rain and strong winds on Friday (August 28) as it swirled across the Caribbean and geared up for a run at south Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) reported.
    As Erika neared the Dominican Republic's capital, Santo Domingo, on Friday (August 28), its sustained winds were measured at 50 mph, the NHC said.
    Bracing for more damage, authorities were on standby in the capital of Santo Domingo after alerts were raised throughout the country.
    "An advisory has been issued for the complete breadth and length of the coasts and national territory which means that this is one of the effects associated with this phenomena from the three (elements), wind, rain and storm which will be felt on the southern coast, on the eastern coast and the western coast of the country," said meteorologists, Francisco Holguin.
    The greatest risk over the next few days is heavy rainfall over the Dominican Republic and neighbouring Haiti's notoriously eroded hillsides, with up to 10 inches (25 cm) possible in some areas. This could cause "life-threatening flash floods and mud slides," the Miami-based NHC said.
    Due to some likely weakening over mountainous areas, Erika was no longer forecast to make landfall in the United States as a hurricane. But it may still smack the Miami area by late Sunday (August 30) with sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (97 kph), before sweeping northward up the Florida peninsula, toward Orlando's popular theme parks.
    For days, forecasters have described Erika, the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, as unusually hard to predict due to disruption from wind patterns and its interaction over land, which weakens a storm, as well as warm water, which adds energy.
    Erica is responsible for at least 12 dead on the island of Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Twitter, adding: "the number may be higher."
    The prime minister said in a radio broadcast that emergency officials were searching for several missing people after rain-triggered landslides on Thursday (August 27) on the small, mountainous island with a population of about 72,000.
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