Over the weekend, torrential rain in the Dominican Republic caused devastating flooding and landslides, resulting in at least 21 deaths and leaving thousands of people homeless. The rain was so heavy that it caused the collapse of a highway tunnel wall in Santo Domingo’s capital, leading to the deaths of three children and nine people.

According to reports from the Emergency Operations Center (COE), the rain also resulted in flooded homes, power outages, and damage to bridges and roads throughout the country. President Luis Abinader described the event as “the biggest rain event in our country’s history,” which forced him to suspend classes in schools until Wednesday. The US embassy announced that the rain, caused by a tropical cyclone, would continue to affect parts of the country on Monday. Currently, most of the 32 provinces in the country are still under red and yellow weather alerts.

The AFP news agency reported that among those who died were four American citizens and three from neighboring Haiti. This tragic incident highlights how vulnerable communities are to natural disasters and underscores the need for better preparedness measures to mitigate their impact on human life.