One man was killed in the city of San Cristobal after being swept away by floodwaters, the Civil Defense Agency said. Two women in the city were also injured in a landslide.

More than 350 people are taking shelter in temporary shelters. About 280 people have been forced to flee their homes, and at least six communities have been cut off by heavy rains. The storm also snapped trees and at least two power poles, affecting dozens of homes. Many streets have turned into rivers.

Authorities have ordered the closure of schools, government offices, and some airports in at least 25 of the 31 provinces on red alert. On August 23, more than 346,000 households were without power and about 120 water lines were inoperable due to heavy rains, affecting more than 1.6 million people.

Later that day, Hurricane Franklin began to move away from the island of Hispaniola after dumping heavy rain for several hours. The storm is forecast to bring up to 300mm of rain in the Dominican Republic, with a maximum of 410mm in the western and central regions of the country. Meanwhile, Haiti is also forecast to receive up to 100mm of rain. In eastern Haiti alone, rainfall could reach 200mm.

The head of emergency operations in the Dominican Republic, Juan Manuel Méndez, advised people to stay indoors, saying “the damage is huge.”

According to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), about 125,000 people in the Dominican Republic are living in areas “particularly vulnerable to landslides and severe flooding”. Meanwhile, WFP Director Jean-Martin Bauer is concerned that Hurricane Franklin could severely impact Haiti - one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to extreme weather conditions. Last June, a powerful storm brought heavy rains to Haiti, killing more than 40 people. On August 22, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry urged people to stock up on fresh water, food and medicine.

Franklin is the seventh storm in the Atlantic hurricane season, which typically runs from June 1 to November 30. On August 10, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that this year's tropical storm season could be more severe than usual. The region is forecast to see 14-21 storms, of which 2-5 could be super typhoons.

VNA

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