Tropical Storm Franklin made landfall on the island of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, on Wednesday, bringing fears it would trigger deadly landslides and heavy flooding in both countries.
Franklin was expected to swirl above the island for most of Wednesday, with forecasters warning the storm could dump up to 10in (25cm) of rain, with a maximum of 15in (38cm) for the central region of Hispaniola.
On Wednesday morning, the storm was centred about 105 miles (170km) west-south-west of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, according to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami. It had maximum winds of 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts and was moving northward at 10 mph (17 kph). It made landfall along the country’s southern coast near Barahona.
Tropical Storm #Franklin Advisory 10A: Heavy Rainfall and Potentially Life-Threatening Flash Flooding Likely On Hispaniola Through Today. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 23, 2023
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Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Harold weakened into a tropical depression on Tuesday night after making landfall in South Texas, bringing strong winds, rain and leaving thousands of homes without power.
In the Caribbean, officials were most concerned about Franklin’s impact in Haiti, which is vulnerable to catastrophic flooding given the country’s severe erosion.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry urged Haitians on Tuesday to stock up with water, food and medication as authorities checked on some of the more than 200,000 people displaced by gang violence, with some living on the streets or in makeshift shelters.
Some recalled that a powerful thunderstorm that unleashed heavy rain one day in June left more than 40 people dead across Haiti.
In the Dominican Republic, officials closed schools, government agencies and several airports with at least 24 of the country’s 31 provinces under red alert.
Flooding had already been reported on Tuesday in Santo Domingo and beyond, where residents prepared for heavy rain.
“We’re scared of the river,” said Doralisa Sanchez, a government employee who lives near the Ozama River that divides the capital and has had to flee her home three times during previous storms.
She hoped Franklin would not force her to seek shelter and temporarily abandon her home because she said people steal belongings left behind.
Others, like businesswoman Albita Achangel, feared they have nowhere to go if the waters start rising.
“We are hoping for God’s will,” she said, adding that her patio is already flooded.
The storm worried thousands of Dominicans who live in flood-prone areas.
“When two drops of water fall here, this suddenly becomes flooded,” said Juan Olivo Urbaez, who owns a small business in a community near the Ozama River.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for the entire southern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, as well as the entire northern Dominican coast. A tropical storm watch was posted for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Franklin is the seventh named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. An eighth named storm, Gert, dissipated on Tuesday.
On August 10, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration updated its forecast and warned that this year’s hurricane season would be above normal.
Between 14 and 21 named storms are forecast. Of those, six to 11 could become hurricanes, with two to five of them possibly becoming major hurricanes.
