Thread: Noel Reports - Dominicann Republic

(CNN) -- Forty-eight people were killed in flooding and mudslides when Tropical Storm Noel hit the Dominican Republic and Haiti, officials said Wednesday as the storm moved off Cuba.
Rain clouds on the edges of Tropical Storm Noel loom over Miami Beach, Florida, on Wednesday.




The storm forced 37,500 people from their homes in those countries, which share the island of Hispaniola.





Of the 48 who died, 30 were killed in the Dominican Republic, according to the nation's Center for Emergency Operations, which also reported that 25,000 fled their homes

SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/weathe...ion=cnn_latest

First person report - Monday - (posted on stormcarib.com)

Hola
We have been under Noel`s influence for the last 24 hrs. Lots of rain, gusty wind, rather strong at times, some 40-50 kts. with the usual havoc on public services.....Public electricity was suspended sometime this early morning and we were on generator until midmornig when something went wrong and PUF, darkness, nothing worked, no elevator, (we are on a 7th floor) no computer, no internet, back to the dark ages......
Finally the services people came and fixed the generator, thank God!!!Just got my internet service working.

There are reports of flooding inland, washed up (or down) bridges, etc, but since we had no power cant tell how bad is the situation.
Will report when I get reliable info.

It is 3:45 pm and by the looks of the "tail" of the blob will have rain until sometime tomorow. The airport at Punta Caucedo is open, one of my sons just got in from Miami. Safe and sound. Thank God for that.
Keep safe and dry
A.Read

Another one, two hours later:

Reports are coming in of at least 20 dead in the floods. Here is an earlier report from the online newspaper Dominican Today.
Tropical Storm Noel batters Dominican Republic: at least eight reported dead
Santo Domingo.- At least eight people reported dead, uncalculated damage to farming and many areas without power is the tragic result of Tropical Storm Noel, which has been affecting most of the Dominican Republic since Sunday.
A Naval corporal and his brother were killed in the Santo Domingo neighborhood of La Cienega, when water levels rose in a gully, according to Emergency Operations Center (COE) head, retired General Luis A. Luna Paulino, who also reported the death by drowning of a woman in the central province of Bonao.
In Haina, San Cristóbal province (west of the capital) three people were killed in a landslide, according to the provincial governor. Meanwhile, in the south western province of San José de Ocoa three further deaths have been reported as a result of the heavy rains, said the COE.
The COE warned that the worst was not over. The rescue corps will continue to evacuate people who live in high-risk areas because a rise in water levels is expected in the next few hours.
Also in San Cristóbal, the rains also caused the collapse of an old bridge over the river Yubaso, leaving thousands of people cut off in the neighborhoods of Madre Vieja Sur, Los Javillones and 5 de Abril, Nuevo. It was also reported that the city?s Moscu neighborhood was flooded.
On the Duarte highway near Villa Altagracia trees were blocking transit, while in Barahona a CODETEL telecommunications aerial was brought down, leaving the area without telephone services, according to local journalists.
The heavy rains and winds have continued to batter the country all day.
The National Meteorological Office warned that the flood alert for residents of low-lying area and near rivers, streams and gullies, remained in effect. The provinces of Azua, San Cristóbal, Peravia, Independencia, Barahona, Pedernales, Espaillat, Salcedo, Duarte, Maria Trinidad Sánchez, Dajabón, Montecristi, Santiago Rodríguez, La Vega, Monte Plata, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, Monseñor Nouel, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo and the National District are on red alert. The Lower Yuna area is particularly vulnerable, said the forecasters. All boats were instructed to remain in port

Same poster as above, but on Tuesday evening:

Reports are coming in of at least 20 dead in the floods. Here is an earlier report from the online newspaper Dominican Today.
Tropical Storm Noel batters Dominican Republic: at least eight reported dead
Santo Domingo.- At least eight people reported dead, uncalculated damage to farming and many areas without power is the tragic result of Tropical Storm Noel, which has been affecting most of the Dominican Republic since Sunday.
A Naval corporal and his brother were killed in the Santo Domingo neighborhood of La Cienega, when water levels rose in a gully, according to Emergency Operations Center (COE) head, retired General Luis A. Luna Paulino, who also reported the death by drowning of a woman in the central province of Bonao.
In Haina, San Cristóbal province (west of the capital) three people were killed in a landslide, according to the provincial governor. Meanwhile, in the south western province of San José de Ocoa three further deaths have been reported as a result of the heavy rains, said the COE.
The COE warned that the worst was not over. The rescue corps will continue to evacuate people who live in high-risk areas because a rise in water levels is expected in the next few hours.
Also in San Cristóbal, the rains also caused the collapse of an old bridge over the river Yubaso, leaving thousands of people cut off in the neighborhoods of Madre Vieja Sur, Los Javillones and 5 de Abril, Nuevo. It was also reported that the city?s Moscu neighborhood was flooded.
On the Duarte highway near Villa Altagracia trees were blocking transit, while in Barahona a CODETEL telecommunications aerial was brought down, leaving the area without telephone services, according to local journalists.
The heavy rains and winds have continued to batter the country all day.
The National Meteorological Office warned that the flood alert for residents of low-lying area and near rivers, streams and gullies, remained in effect. The provinces of Azua, San Cristóbal, Peravia, Independencia, Barahona, Pedernales, Espaillat, Salcedo, Duarte, Maria Trinidad Sánchez, Dajabón, Montecristi, Santiago Rodríguez, La Vega, Monte Plata, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, Monseñor Nouel, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo and the National District are on red alert. The Lower Yuna area is particularly vulnerable, said the forecasters. All boats were instructed to remain in port

Thousands of homes destroyed
Noel’s outer bands pounded Hispaniola Tuesday, loosening denuded hillsides and endangering makeshift homes in gullies vulnerable to flash floods.

In the Dominican Republic, more than 50,000 people were driven from their homes and nearly 12,000 homes were damaged, while mudslides and swollen rivers have isolated 36 towns, said Dominican emergency services spokesman Luis Luna Paulino. He said 41 people were killed and 20 were missing.

About 1,000 prisoners were evacuated from a penitentiary because of flooding,

-- Excerpted from: Tropical Storm Noel kills 60 - Weather - MSNBC.com

Caribbean deaths mount in

wake of Tropical Storm Noel

Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:45pm GMT

By German Marte

SANTO DOMINGO, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The death toll from Tropical Storm Noel . . .i climbed above 60 on Wednesday and . . . it could surge higher after two rivers broke their banks and swept away a Dominican village.

. . . the El Duey and Haina rivers swelled over their banks . . .and drowned at least 25 people, left 50 to 100 missing and made dozens of families homeless in Villa Altagracia, about 26 miles outside . . . Santo Domingo.

. . . emergency workers fanned out to bring aid to towns and villages cut off by raging rivers and inundated by chest-high floods.

A least 25,540 people were homeless and 6,300 homes had been destroyed, said Luis Luna Paulino, head of the Dominican Republic's emergency operations. He appealed to boat owners to help rescue people trapped in cut-off villages

FULL STORY HERE: Caribbean deaths mount in wake of Tropical Storm Noel | Reuters

There are reports of at least 10 bridges being washed out and many roads blocked or flooded, cutting off access to as many as 40 towns or villages.

Residents in the capital city of Santo Domingo are crossing a street in this photo from Tropical Storm Noel photos - Daylife

Caribbean Death toll rises to 91.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Rescuers rushed in helicopters and boats Thursday to reach people stranded by floods and mudslides from Tropical Storm Noel, which left at least 91 people dead in the Dominican Republic and neighboring Haiti.

Hundreds of volunteers joined the Dominican civil defense force to help stranded residents

. . . At least 52 communities were cut off because of widespread flooding and landslides.

. . . at least 56 dead in the Dominican Republic and 34 in Haiti,

Dominican President Leonel Fernandez declared a state of emergency . . .. He ordered residents in 36 communities to evacuate because they were in potential flood zones.

. . . In Haiti, civil protection crews confirmed 10 more deaths overnight, raising Haiti's toll to 34

At least 58,300 Dominicans fled their homes, some 14,500 of which were damaged, said Luis Antonio Luna, head of the Emergencies Commission.


FULL STORY HERE: Noel drenches Bahamas, death toll at 91 - USATODAY.com