Dominican Republic Declares State of Emergency After 9 Killed by Heavy Rains

Authorities in the Dominican Republic raised the state of emergency in parts of the country on Sunday in anticipation of possible landslides and floods after heavy rainfall yesterday led to the displacement of thousands and the death of at least nine people. The Emergency Operations Center reported in a morning update that a state of emergency had been declared in 14 areas. Police stated that nine individuals lost their lives on Saturday when the rains caused a tunnel wall to collapse onto their vehicles on a highway. The authorities have yet to announce the final death toll, but local media reported a higher number of fatalities than the nine who died in the tunnel wall collapse. Videos shared on social media showed torrents of water moving cars in the streets and flooding the ground floors of buildings. The Emergency Operations Center noted that the rains forced 8,000 residents to relocate to safer areas, and the storm damaged over 1,500 homes. The report also stated that communications were cut off from 29 residential communities as of Sunday morning.