In anticipation of possible floods by rainy caused by the hurricane Fiona are residents in neighborhoods on the banks of the Ozama River in Santo Domingo which are traditionally flooded when heavy rainfall occurs.
Carrying their few trousseaus to the houses of neighbors, friends and relatives who live in the highest areas and getting ready to leave their homes at any time, this Monday the residents of the Los Coordinators I and II, La Cucaracha and La Lila neighborhoods in Santo Domingo North.
Ciénaga and Los Guandules in the National District are also on the lookout for a possible flooding of the river and say that for several days they have been overwhelmed by concern about not knowing if they will find themselves in a disaster situation.
Under a persistent drizzle, men, women and children from the aforementioned communities mobilized chairs, tables, furniture, televisions and other properties on Monday to avoid having to leave them in case they were forced to move from their homes.
The common complaint is that no authority has come to their aid and that for years they have been waiting to be relocated to where they will not be in danger every time the Ozama increases its flow.
The residents of different parts of the Ozama riverside know from experience that the danger of their humble homes being covered by waters from the tributary could start in the next few days, even when the rainy that began this Sunday night cease.
“It is not a day that we have; It’s been here for many years, all this is flooded and it’s better to leave before having to be sorry,” says Rosanna Urbaez, who lives in Los Coordinators I with her husband and three children, who she says have not slept since the authorities began the possible step of Fiona for the country.
He remembers that in the more than 20 years he has been in the place he has seen river floods that have lasted up to a month, in which many are left homeless and without any belongings, when they wait for the last hour to leave.
“We have everything in plastic bags and taking out the biggest first, because clothes and those things have to be with you wherever you move,” he explained.
Karina Santana, who says she is 33 years old in Coordinators I, expresses that her greatest concern is not knowing where they are going to stay while the waters resume their course, because so far no authorities from official agencies have appeared to offer them places to take refuge. .
“We go wherever, even in the canopies of some houses we have spent rainy seasons, but sometimes you don’t know where to go,” Santana lamented.
The province Santo Domingo and the National District are among the places that remain on red alert due to the effects of hurricane Fiona.
