DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Hurricane Dean brushes Santo Domingo, knocking down several houses

As Hurricane Dean bears down on Jamaica, it brushes past the Dominican Republic, knocking down a handful of houses and causing some flooding. Residents are beginning the recovery effort. Hurricane Dean brushed by the Dominican Republic on Saturday (August 18) with strong winds and rain, knocking down a handful of houses. Residents in Santo Domingo worked to clear away rubble left by the storm. Many spoke of significant losses. "I have three houses and all three were destroyed. Nothing remains. Nothing. I was working and when I returned, there was nothing," said resident Zunilda Ramirez. "I had two houses there and the sea took them. I was dragged through the roofs and the sticks and lost everything," said another resident, Reinaldo Cruz. Waves continued to pound the coast on Sunday (August 19) morning. Meanwhile, dozens of homes in the capital were flooded and residents were bailing out water. "Well the water came in and we had to leave, but we didn't know where to go because no one from the Civil Defense came here," said Francisca Dominguez. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the eye of the hurricane was about 295 miles (480 km) east southeast of Jamaica at 2 a.m. (0600 GMT) and was expected to be near Jamaica or to make landfall on Sunday as an exceptionally dangerous storm. It could become a Category 5 storm after roaring by the Caymans in two days, with winds of over 155 mph (250 kph). Dean is the first hurricane of what is expected to be an above-average 2007 Atlantic storm season.

ITN Source | August 19, 2007

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