Tropical Storm Earl leaves 6 dead in Dominican Republic, moves toward Mexico

Published August 02, 2016

Fox News Latino

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  NOAA satellite image taken Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 at 12:45 PM EDT shows Tropical Storm Earl 210 miles south of Grand Cayman. (ap)

A weather system that already has caused at least six deaths in the Dominican Republic has been designated as Tropical Storm Earl.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Tuesday that Earl was threatening to bring heavy rains, flooding and high winds to Mexico, Belize and Honduras. All three of those countries issued Tropical Storm warnings for some areas, and a hurricane watch was issued for part of the Mexican coast.

On Sunday, Earl was still a weaker tropical wave but knocked down power lines in the Dominican Republic’s Samana Peninsula and started a fire that killed six passengers on a bus filled with people returning from a beach excursion. The fire also injured 12 others.

On Tuesday, the storm was centered about 210 miles south of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean. It had top sustained winds of 50 mph and was speeding west at 22 mph.

Earl is expected to bring damaging winds and rain to much of the northeast coasts of Honduras and Guatemala before making landfall on Belize sometime in the early morning hours of Thursday. The storm is then projected to barrel across Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula and cross part of the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall again sometime on Saturday back in Mexico.

Forecast models are unsure what the strength of the storm will be when it reaches parts of Mexico later this week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/08/02/tropical-storm-earl-leaves-6-dead-in-dominican-republic-moves-toward-mexico/

Man who sued the Dominican Republic because it rained during his vacation has been labelled a “quarrelsome litigant”

The man who sued the Dominican Republic because it rained during his vacation has been labelled a “quarrelsome litigant” by a Quebec judge.

Being labelled as such means Bruno Leduc can no longer file a lawsuit unless he gets prior authorization from the court.

Labelling a citizen a “quarrelsome litigant” in Quebec is an uncommon procedure. A judge must believe that someone “often demonstrates stubbornness and narcissism” and his or her claims are “at the limit of being rational.”

Court documents state that Leduc filed 70 small claims against people or companies over the past several years. Within three months in 2012, Leduc filed 19 claims.

Court of Quebec Justice Diane Quenneville ruled last month that “the court has no hesitation to conclude that Leduc is abusing the justice system.”

Quenneville’s written ruling included some of Leduc’s more frivolous claims.

Leduc sued the consulate of the Dominican Republic as well as airline Transat, for damages, because it rained when he spent time in the country, and because he hurt his leg when he descended the airplane.

Leduc sued Cosco Wholesale Canada for $500 because staff took too long to put a lawn mower that he wanted to purchase, on his carriage.

Air Canada staff kicked Leduc off a plane when he wouldn’t move to the economy class seat he had paid for, from the business class seat he was sitting in. He responded by suing the airline for over $4,000.

Leduc’s court claims totalled $114,000 since the year 2000.

QMI Agency was unable to reach Leduc’s attorney on Saturday.

Source: cnews.canoe.ca

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Tropical Storm FIONA

Tropical Storm FIONA
…FIONA PASSING NORTH OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS… 11:00 AM AST Wed Sep 1 Location: 18.8°N 61.7°W Max sustained: 60 mph Moving: NW at 17 mph Min pressure: 998 mb Public Advisory #8 1100 AM AST Aviso Publico latest available Forecast/ Advisory #8 1500 UTC Forecast Discussion #8 1100 AM AST Wind Speed Probabilities #8 1500 UTC     US Watch/ Warning 500 AM AST

Source: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

The Dominican Republic Call Center Association Opens Hurricane Hotline

 

Graphic: http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/35892/hurricane-still-likely-to-form.asp

 

Call Center Association Offers Hurricane HotlineSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ — The Dominican Republic Call Center Association today announced the availability of a toll-free hotline, which began in 2008, to help answer questions during this very active hurricane season.

Callers to the hotline will receive information regarding hurricane preparedness, storm development, hurricane tracking, shelter locations, evacuation information, etc. Call center representatives from DRCCA member companies will staff their contact number throughout the hurricane season. The toll-free number is 1-888-994-8774 and it will be answered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday during the season.

“We are very proud to be able to offer these services, which are funded by our member organization. They have provided us with a team of representatives who are now trained to work the hurricane hotline,” said Doug Meyers, DRCCA Director and co-founder for the DRCCA.

About The Dominican Republic Call Center Association

The Dominican Republic Call Center Association was established to inform companies in the Dominican Republic and the United States of the great opportunity that exists in the call center industry in the Dominican Republic.  Most importantly, the DRCCA serves as a guide to those businesses who are interested in moving their business or operation to the Caribbean.  

US companies often find it difficult to move their operation overseas as there are many unknown obstacles to navigate, such as laws, government policies, local banking, where to buy equipment services and more.  The DRCCA team has achieved impressive results in a very short period of time.

Further information can be found at http://www.drcca.org or by calling us directly at (786) 347-5607.

 SOURCE Dominican Republic Call Center Association

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-dominican-republic-call-center-association-opens-hurricane-hotline-100789569.html

Tropical wave near Dominican Republic still bears watching for next 2 days

Published: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 6:42 PM     Updated: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 6:54 PM

The Times-Picayune

NOAA image

The tropical weather outlook from the National Hurricane Center in Miami for July 20, 7 p.m.:

For the North Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:

A vigorous tropical wave located near the eastern Dominican Republic is producing a large area of showers and thunderstorms extending from the northern Leeward islands west to Hispaniola.

Surface observations indicate that a closed circulation has not yet formed.

However, environmental conditions are expected to be favorable for tropical cyclone formation as the system moves west-northwest at about 10 mh during the next day or so.

There is a 60 percent chance of this system becoming a tropical depression or a tropical storm in the next 48 hours.

Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds will likely affect the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, eastern Cuba, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas during the next couple of days.

Source: http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2010/07/tropical_wave_near_dominican_r.html

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Tropical Downpours to Spread from Hispaniola to Florida

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

Jun 20, 2010; 4:01 PM ET

The tropical disturbance that was once being monitored for development will spread downpours from Hispaniola to Florida through midweek. Flooding from the downpours will threaten earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Drenching rain was already inundating Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Sunday. Downpours were also over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but will become less numerous by Monday.

 More downpours are in store for Hispaniola on Monday, and will spread to eastern Cuba and Jamaica.

 

 The mountainous terrain of Hispaniola will work to enhance the downpours produced by the disturbance. Some mountainous locations, especially those that face southeast, could receive around 6 inches of rain. Dangerous mudslides and flooding are serious concerns.

 The mountains in far southern Haiti should actually help the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, escape the heaviest rain. As the air descends from these mountain peaks, some moisture will get lost.

 Beyond Monday, the disturbance will continue to press northwestward. Downpours will expand over more of Cuba and the Bahamas on Tuesday. South Florida, including Miami, should see an increase in shower and thunderstorm activity.

 More of the Florida Peninsula, especially southern parts, will turn stormy due to the disturbance on Wednesday. Widespread flooding should not ensue, but localized problems may occur. At the very least, the enhanced thunderstorm activity will interfere with outdoor activities.

 The disturbance should then enter the Gulf of Mexico. It is here where there is concern for possible tropical development. Winds high in the atmosphere, also known as wind shear, may prove to be too strong for any strengthening.

 However, some computer models are hinting that another disturbance may develop tropically in the western Caribbean later this week. AccuWeather.com meteorologists will be closely monitoring this situation.

 More Downpours for Haiti in Wake of Disturbance

 Even as the tropical disturbance heads northwestward and begins to impact Florida, dry weather will not return to Haiti. Rich moisture from the southeast will continue to stream across the nation, leading to additional localized downpours the rest of this week.

 Haiti is still trying to rebuild after the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January.

 The Associated Press reported last Thursday that rebuilding has been hampered by organizational problems, government disfunction, and the overall scale of the disaster.

 Even though five months have passed since the earthquake, collapsed buildings still line the streets in Port-au-Prince. Residents are living under leaky tarps and tents that may not be able to withstand extreme weather.

 According to the New York Times, roughly 1.5 million Haitians remain homeless.

 Last Thursday, former U.S. President Bill Clinton officially inaugurated the commission overseeing Haiti’s post-earthquake reconstruction.

 Worsening the situation for Haiti is the fact that the quake left behind unstable hillsides, increasing the danger of mudslides due to torrential rainfall.

 Many of the forests of Haiti have been clear-cut years ago, adding to the vulnerability of flooding and mudslides.

 Giovanni Riccardi Candiani, head of contingency planning for the U.N. Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, told the Palm Beach Post that flooding is a significant concern in Haiti. Tropical storms in 2004 killed almost 3,000 people; many of these victims died due to the floods.

 Haiti may also be at greater risk to suffer from hurricane damage due to its weakened condition. AccuWeather.com Hurricane Expert Joe Bastardi is expecting a top-10 hurricane season, which could include as many as 18 named storms.

 Bastardi also said that Haiti may be overdue for a significant hurricane season. Haiti was hardest hit by hurricanes Flora, Cleo and Inez in the 1960s.

 Kristen Rodman and Kirstie Hettinga, AccuWeather.com Staff Writers, contributed to the content of this story.

 Source: http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/32937/flood-threat-for-caribbean-isl-1.asp

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One Dead in Torrential Rains in Northern Dominican Republic

One Dead in Torrential Rains in Northern Dominican Republic

SANTIAGO, Dominican Republic – Heavy rains in several towns of the northern region of the Dominican Republic caused the death of one person and completely flooded 20 districts of Puerto Plata province, authorities said Monday.

The director of emergency services in Puerto Plata, Hugo Gonzalez Troche, identified the victim as a 21-year-old man who was killed when a wall collapsed in the Limones neighborhood, one of the sectors that have suffered flooding from overflowing rivers and streams.

Gonzalez Troche said that the downpours caused the San Marcos, Los Dominguez, Muñoz and Camu rivers to overflow, which obliged emergency-services organizations to evacuate dozens of families from at least 20 flooded neighborhoods.

The director said that the situation currently prevailing in Puerto Plata “is critical” and that widespread damages have been caused to agriculture and properties by the heavy rains.

He said that the rubble from damaged buildings that is blocking traffic in parts of Puerto Plata city is being cleared away, while aid for those displaced by the downpours is being organized.

The emergency-services official regretted that migrants from rural areas and from neighboring Haiti are building shelters on the banks of rivers, streams, ravines and other unsuitable locations, which creates problems in times of heavy rains. EFE

Source: http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=352400&CategoryId=14092

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