NewsWhore
06-02-2009, 03:00 PM
National relief organizations are once again on alert with the start of the hurricane season. The hurricane season began 1 June and ends on 30 November.
The organizations say that residents in vulnerable zones continue to be at the risk of major storms.
Civil Defense and the other institutions say they are prepared to assist the communities in the case of disaster.
According to El Caribe, Francisco Arias, the head of Civil Defense in Santiago, said that the organization now has more than 2,000 volunteers and rescue teams. The province of Santiago has about 40 areas of high risk, and some 16,000 persons living in the high risk zones, that are vulnerable to flooding and landslides.
The ecologists say the situation has worsened due to increasing deforestation of river banks. The Ecological Society of the Cibao (Soeci), together with the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, have tackled the problems with efforts to re-plant the banks of the Yaque River that were destroyed by the floods causes by tropical storm Olga in December 2007.
Soeci and Civil Defense, nevertheless, complain of the little interest shown by the authorities whose duty it is to impede that high risk areas are populated. The vulnerable areas are occupied by newcomers that flock from rural areas to the city and start shanty towns in places where that are no public services at all.
Several high risk zones mentioned are the Hoyo de Bartolo, the Hoyo de Julia, the Hoyo de Puchola, Las Cayernas, part of Rafey, Bella Vista, the barrios located down stream of the Gurabo, Pontezuela and Nibaje creeks, as well as the communities located in those areas subject to landslides, such as La Cumbre de Juan Veras.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)
The organizations say that residents in vulnerable zones continue to be at the risk of major storms.
Civil Defense and the other institutions say they are prepared to assist the communities in the case of disaster.
According to El Caribe, Francisco Arias, the head of Civil Defense in Santiago, said that the organization now has more than 2,000 volunteers and rescue teams. The province of Santiago has about 40 areas of high risk, and some 16,000 persons living in the high risk zones, that are vulnerable to flooding and landslides.
The ecologists say the situation has worsened due to increasing deforestation of river banks. The Ecological Society of the Cibao (Soeci), together with the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, have tackled the problems with efforts to re-plant the banks of the Yaque River that were destroyed by the floods causes by tropical storm Olga in December 2007.
Soeci and Civil Defense, nevertheless, complain of the little interest shown by the authorities whose duty it is to impede that high risk areas are populated. The vulnerable areas are occupied by newcomers that flock from rural areas to the city and start shanty towns in places where that are no public services at all.
Several high risk zones mentioned are the Hoyo de Bartolo, the Hoyo de Julia, the Hoyo de Puchola, Las Cayernas, part of Rafey, Bella Vista, the barrios located down stream of the Gurabo, Pontezuela and Nibaje creeks, as well as the communities located in those areas subject to landslides, such as La Cumbre de Juan Veras.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#9)