Special for codigopostalrd.net followers
At 7:29 a.m. local time (AST) on Monday, October 27, 2025, the Dominican Republic is experiencing severe meteorological effects from Hurricane Melissa, an unusual Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 257 km/h (160 mph) and a central pressure of 917 mb.
The slow-moving hurricane, with a forward speed of 3 to 6 mph, is located south-southwest of Jamaica, and its extensive rainbands are bringing torrential rains to southern Hispaniola, the island it shares with Haiti.
National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts indicate between 20 and 40 cm (8 to 16 inches) of additional rain over the next 72 hours for the southern and central regions, which will exacerbate flooding.
The Dominican Republic’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has declared a red alert for nine provinces, including Barahona, Bahoruco, Independencia, Pedernales, and other southwestern provinces, due to the risk of flash flooding and river flooding.
Santo Domingo, meanwhile, has been downgraded to a yellow alert but remains vulnerable to torrential rains through midweek.
Hurricane Melissa has already caused significant damage in the Dominican Republic, primarily from extreme rainfall and flooding that began to intensify over the weekend. The main impacts, as of early Monday morning, include:
Flooding and damage to infrastructure. Widespread flash flooding has submerged homes, vehicles, and roads, especially in urban and low-lying areas.
Videos from Bellas Colinas in Manoguayabo show streets turned into rivers, with residents wading through waist-deep water.
More than one million residents, primarily in the southern and central provinces, are without access to clean water due to contaminated supplies and disrupted distribution networks.
Power and communications outages are reported in isolated communities, and extensive infrastructure damage is expected to worsen as the rains persist.
At least one flood-related death has been confirmed, and another person is missing. This adds to the regional toll from the storm, including three deaths in neighboring Haiti.
+Evacuations are underway in high-risk areas, but the mountainous terrain has hampered access, leaving some residents stranded.
Environmental and agricultural effects: Landslides are occurring in mountainous regions such as the southwest, eroding the soil and burying roads. The first agricultural losses include crop damage in rice and coffee fields, threatening food security in rural areas.
These effects are most acute in the nine provinces on red alert, where rivers like the Yaque del Sur are rising rapidly.
The current and projected consequences of Hurricane Melissa represent a multi-day humanitarian and economic crisis for the Dominican Republic:
In the short term (next 24-72 hours), life-threatening flash floods and landslides could isolate communities, leading to further deaths, injuries, and property destruction.
The risk of storm surge is lower than in Jamaica (up to 4 m), but damaging waves along the southern coast could exacerbate coastal erosion.
Tropical-storm-force winds (63-117 km/h) are expected Tuesday night through Wednesday, which could down trees and power lines, causing widespread power outages lasting for days.
In the medium term (through midweek), intense and prolonged rainfall, exacerbated by the storm’s slow movement, could result in accumulations of more than 50 cm in some areas, triggering further landslides and river overflows.
This could displace thousands of people, overwhelm health systems (with the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera), and halt transportation, including flights from Santo Domingo’s Las Américas International Airport.
The economic consequences include disruptions to tourism—for example, Punta Cana resorts are on hold—and losses estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars in agriculture and infrastructure repairs.
In the long term, the storm highlights the vulnerabilities of water infrastructure and urban planning, which could lead to food shortages and increased migration pressure.
The spillover effects from neighboring Haiti (shared hydrology in Hispaniola) could amplify cross-border challenges, including refugee flows.
Government responses include COE-led evacuations, the distribution of emergency supplies, and military deployment for rescues.
The U.S. Embassy urges citizens to avoid flooding—even 15 cm floodwaters can sweep away adults—seek higher ground, and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive alerts.
Hurricane Melissa underscores the increasing ferocity of Atlantic hurricanes, driven by climate change-induced ocean warming, which is fueling their rapid intensification (Melissa went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 storm in less than 48 hours).
For the Dominican Republic, this event demands immediate international assistance, focused on water purification, temporary shelters, and resilient infrastructure, to mitigate a worsening crisis.
Local authorities should prioritize real-time monitoring through the COE app and NHC updates, while long-term strategies should emphasize early warning systems and reforestation to curb landslides.
As the core of the storm heads toward Jamaica tonight before brushing eastern Cuba, the Dominican Republic could experience its maximum impact by midweek; however, any northward shift in its track could intensify threats in the area.
Residents are advised: do not venture out; Stay safe, conserve water, and prepare for isolation. Global solidarity is crucial, as these “catastrophic” events disproportionately affect vulnerable island nations.
