NewsWhore
12-13-2007, 04:30 PM
According to some engineers, the tragedy caused by TS Olga could have been prevented. Geologist Osiris de Leon and Engineer Petra Moreta, former director of Civil Works maintenance, both agree that the Tavera dam was opened too late. De Leon says that the gates should have been opened when the dam was receiving 500 to 600 cubic meters of water per second. He said the authorities underestimated the amount of rain Olga would bring. Moreta says that the dam should have been open since Sunday to make space for the incoming water. However, the director of the Hydraulic Resources Institute (INDRHI) Hector Rodriguez, quoted in Hoy, justified the later opening of the Tavera dam and said that otherwise a catastrophe would have occurred.
Rodriguez, quoted in Diario Libre, said that water levels in the dam were falling and that as from 11pm on Tuesday the dam was receiving 6,670 cubic meters per second. He added that this was the only option for preventing a full collapse. Rodriguez says that members of the Civil Defense began warning citizens and urging evacuations at 7pm. Listin Diario quotes Rodriguez as dismissing some criticisms that implied that the dam opening had more to do with the flooding than the actual rains. He said that the dams had been opened gradually since Monday and added that in just three hours the dam received 51 million cubic meters of water, and officials only released 25 million cubic meters during that same period. He says that the INDHRI is able to demonstrate that officials did the right thing.
Political opponents criticized the move and said that the residents of Santiago should have been notified about the dam opening earlier. Hoy reports that 300,000 people in Santiago and Puerto Plata are still without power.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
Rodriguez, quoted in Diario Libre, said that water levels in the dam were falling and that as from 11pm on Tuesday the dam was receiving 6,670 cubic meters per second. He added that this was the only option for preventing a full collapse. Rodriguez says that members of the Civil Defense began warning citizens and urging evacuations at 7pm. Listin Diario quotes Rodriguez as dismissing some criticisms that implied that the dam opening had more to do with the flooding than the actual rains. He said that the dams had been opened gradually since Monday and added that in just three hours the dam received 51 million cubic meters of water, and officials only released 25 million cubic meters during that same period. He says that the INDHRI is able to demonstrate that officials did the right thing.
Political opponents criticized the move and said that the residents of Santiago should have been notified about the dam opening earlier. Hoy reports that 300,000 people in Santiago and Puerto Plata are still without power.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)