- Title: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Dominicans brace for Tropical Storm Isaac
- Date: 24th August 2012
- Summary: VARIOUS OF GRAPHICS SHOWING PATH OF STORM
- Embargoed: 8th September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Dominican Republic
- City:
- Country: Dominican Republic
- Topics: Weather
- Reuters ID: LVAEBFG7XN88V6XU5RNV2I8H4AS8
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: Dominicans prepared on Thursday (August 23) for Tropical Storm Isaac as it unleashed heavy rain and winds as it moved across the Caribbean. The storm could strengthen into a hurricane before tearing across the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Isaac was centered about 190 miles (305 km) south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Thursday evening and was moving westward at 16 miles per hour (26 kph).
The storm had sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph). The Miami-based hurricane centre said Isaac could become a hurricane on Friday as it nears Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
In Barajona, where the storm is expected to hit with greater intensity than in the capital, residents stocked up on food and prepared for the worst.
"It's headed this way strong because it hit Puerto Rico hard and it is entering this way. That's why I'm getting ready," said area resident Jenny Gomez.
Isaac was expected to dump between 8 and 12 inches (20 to 30.5 cm) of rain over parts of Hispaniola, with total accumulations up to 20 inches (51 cm) in some areas, the NHC said.
"According to analysis, we could have between 200 and 300 millimetres of rain accumulation at the time the storm crosses the south of our country. We expect that, at 2 in the morning on Friday, it will be located at 150 kilometres east-southeast of Saona Island and, in the afternoon, it would be affecting the whole deep south and could be crossing between Beata Island and the southernmost part of the Barahona peninsula," said National Meteorological Office forecaster Francisco Holguin.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic began evacuating people living on the banks of rivers, streams and areas vulnerable to landslides in preparation for the approach of Isaac, whose effects were beginning to be felt with showers in the south of the country.
General Juan Manuel Santos warned that residents needed to cooperate with the process for their own safety.
"With the support of the armed forces, national police and other organisms, they've decided to have precautionary evacuations in specific provinces where there's a history of flooding. Don't resist evacuating. That's the most important thing. They need to cooperate with the evacuations," he said.
The NHC said Isaac was moving westward at 18 mph (30 kph). The storm has slowed down and swung farther south in the Caribbean than initially predicted.
Isaac also posed a threat to Florida, where it could pass near the state's Gulf Coast on Monday as the Republican National Convention starts in Tampa. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
