As holiday crowds prepare to gather for Easter Sunday celebrations across the Dominican Republic, the nation’s Emergency Operations Center (known locally as COE) has activated a two-tiered alert system across 17 provinces, citing elevated risks of widespread water-related hazards.
Two provinces, Monseñor Nouel and San José de Ocoa, face the higher of the two alert levels, a yellow warning, marking them as areas at greatest risk of hazardous flooding. The remaining 15 jurisdictions under alert – including the capital’s National District, the larger Santo Domingo province, Sánchez Ramírez, Hermanas Mirabal, Puerto Plata, San Cristóbal, Santiago, Espaillat, Duarte, Samaná, La Vega, La Altagracias, Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, and El Seibo – are placed under a lower-level green alert.
Across all affected regions, officials warn that rising water levels are possible in natural waterways including rivers, streams, and mountain ravines, with the added threat of sudden flash flooding and urban inundation that can catch communities off guard during the busy holiday weekend.
Beyond inland flood risks, COE has issued additional safety guidance for marine activities along a large stretch of the country’s coastline. From the northwestern border province of Monte Cristi extending east to Isla Saona, operators of small, medium, and structurally fragile watercraft have been strongly advised to stay anchored in port. This advisory comes in response to the development of dangerous ocean swells paired with moderate to strong winds that create unstable, high-risk conditions for small vessels.
For recreational beachgoers – a large demographic expected to travel to coastal areas over the Easter holiday – the agency has issued a critical warning about powerful rip currents, which are among the leading causes of drowning incidents at beaches. It is urging all swimmers and members of the public to exercise extreme caution when entering the water, and to check in with local lifeguard and rescue services to confirm current safety conditions before accessing any beach.
For all other sections of the Dominican Republic’s Caribbean coastline, no movement or activity restrictions have been put in place at this time.