Tropical storm Franklin has decreased its travel speed due to a high-level trough positioned near the border with Haiti, which will make its trajectory when entering the country more easterly than previously expected, reported Monday the Onamet.
According to the latest bulletin from the National Meteorological Office (Onamet), at 4:00 pm the center of Franklin was located near latitude 14.5 north 70.3 west, about 440 kilometers south/southwest of Santo Domingo, with maximum winds of 85 kilometers / hour and higher gusts that extend to about 95 kilometers outside its center.
With a minimum central pressure of 999 millibars, the phenomenon is moving west at about 6 kilometers per hour and is expected to gradually shift to the west/northwest and then northwest within the next 24 hours.
For this reason, the warning for tropical storm conditions is maintained from Pedernales, on the border with Haiti, to Isla Saona and the alert from this island to Montecristi, on the north coast.
Given the accumulated values of rainfall that are expected, warnings and alerts continue for possible sudden flooding of rivers, streams and ravines that can cause urban and/or rural flooding and landslides in La Altagracia, San Cristóbal, El Gran Santo Domingo ( including the National District), La Romana, San Pedro de Macorís, Monte Plata, Peravia, Azua, Barahona, Pedernales, Hato Mayor, Monsignor Nouel, San José de Ocoa, La Vega, San Juan, Elías Piña, Independencia, Bahoruco and El seibo.
It is not expected that Franklin could become a hurricane before touching Dominican territory, thanks to the trough located near the border with Haiti and the dry air to the northwest of the storm, although it maintains its capacity to generate accumulated rainfall values close to or greater than the 300 mm.
Clouds and occasional rains are already occurring in the eastern provinces and the coastal strips between Samaná and Punta Cana and from Punta Cana to Peravia, conditions that will gradually spread to the rest of the territory as Franklin gradually turns west /northwest and northwest and with high probabilities of accumulations of between 75 and 200 millimeters, which may be higher in isolated points.
Regarding marine conditions, abnormal waves and some breakers are observed, mainly in the coastal segment between La Romana and San Cristóbal, with waves expected to reach between 8 and 9 feet, increasing offshore, making fragile vessels, Small and medium-sized vessels must continue in port and larger ones consult the authorities.
Given all this, different measures are being taken and this afternoon President Abinader will lead a meeting with relief agencies.
In addition, the opening scheduled for tomorrow of the XXX National Biennial of Visual Arts, which had already been postponed after the explosion in San Cristóbal, has been postponed to Wednesday.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Agriculture has activated the Contingency Plan for the Agricultural Sector to minimize the eventual negative effects of the tropical storm and Civil Defense has met to draw up prevention measures.
The Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) also announced the activation of its emergency committee and agreed to apply the preventive protocols, while the National District Mayor’s Office has launched the Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Response Committee and since Saturday it has been cleaning works of filters and sewers.