SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tropical Storm Franklin made landfall Wednesday on the island of Hispaniola shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, dumping heavy rains that are expected to bring flooding and possible landslides in both countries.
Franklin was expected to swirl above the island for most of the day, with forecasters warning the storm could drop up to 12 inches of rain in the Dominican Republic, with a maximum of 16 inches for the country’s western and central regions. Meanwhile, up to 4 inches of rain are forecast for Haiti, with nearly 8 inches for the country’s eastern regions.
“The population of the Dominican Republic must all be right now, without exception, in their homes, the homes of friends and family, or in shelters,” said Juan Manuel Méndez, emergency operations director.
More than 200 people were in shelters in the Dominican Republic, where emergency operations officials said they were looking for a 54-year-old man with mental health problems who went missing after he jumped into a creek late Tuesday. Another 280 people were evacuated from their homes to safer ground, with at least three communities cut off by heavy rains, officials said.
The storm also downed several trees and at least one light post, with dozens of homes affected by floods that turned streets into rushing rivers. Authorities said the roof of at least one home in San Cristobal collapsed, as did walls of various buildings around the country.
Meanwhile, authorities in neighboring Puerto Rico, which also was hit by Franklin’s rain, were searching for two scuba divers missing south of the U.S. territory in waters churned up by the storm.
The U.N.’s World Food Program warned Wednesday that some 125,000 people in the Dominican Republic are living in areas that “are extremely vulnerable to landslides and flash floods because they live in poor, overcrowded settlements near rivers, creeks, and lagoons.”
Hércules Urbáez, a 41-year-old father of six who lives in the city of Barahona where Franklin made landfall, said he and his family went to his mother’s house for safety.
“People have refused to leave,” he said.
On late Wednesday morning, the storm was centered about 65 miles south-southwest of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It had maximum winds of 40 mph with higher gusts and was moving northward at 13 mph.
Rivers were swelling across the country, with one in Barahona lapping at shacks made of tin where at least one resident used plastic buckets to raise his mattress above his home’s dirt floor.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Harold weakened into a tropical depression Tuesday night after making landfall in South Texas, bringing strong winds and rain, leaving thousands of homes without power.
In the Caribbean, officials were most concerned about Franklin’s impact in Haiti, which is prone to catastrophic flooding given the country’s severe erosion.
“Haiti is among the most vulnerable countries in the world when it comes to the effects of extreme weather,” said Jean-Martin Bauer, the World Food Program’s director for Haiti. In June, a powerful thunderstorm that unleashed heavy rains left more than 40 people dead across the country.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry had urged Haitians on Tuesday to stock up on water, food and medication.
