Cleaning up after flood damage in Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic March 2022.
© Dominican Republic Civil DefenceCleaning up after flood damage in Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic March 2022.
Heavy rain from 05 March 2022 caused severe flash flooding in northern parts of Hispaniola island in the Caribbean Sea. Damages were reported in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic, and Nord Department, Haiti, where 2 fatalities were reported.

Dominican Republic

Drivers and passengers dramatically escaped vehicles that were swept away by raging flood waters in in Puerto Plata Province, Dominican Republic. Flooding also caused material damages and at 68 homes were inundated, mostly in Sosúa and Maimón. Over 115 mm of rain fell in the city of Puerto Plata in 24 hours to 06 march 2022.

Civil Defence in Dominican Republic also reported flood damage in the Duarte neighbourhood of Santo Domingo Oeste after the Guajimía canal broke its banks.

As of 06 March, warnings for heavy rain and floods were still in place for Puerto Plata, La Vega and María Trinidad Sánchez Provinces.


Haiti

Heavy rain also triggered flash floods in parts of northern Haiti, in particular in areas of Limbé Arrondissement, in the Nord department. Images and videos shared on Social Media showed flood waters racing through streets of the towns of Limbé and Bas-Limbé.



Local media reported at least 2 people died as a result of the flooding, which caused severe damages to buildings and homes, forcing around 500 people to evacuate.

Heavy rain also affected Cap-Haïtien, Borgne, Acul-du-Nord and Plaisance Arrondissements in the department.

This is the second major flood event in the region in 5 weeks. Thousands of people were forced from their homes after flooding in Haiti and Dominican Republic following a period of heavy rainfall from late January this year.