In a major step forward to strengthen disaster preparedness across the Dominican Republic, two key national agencies—the Dominican Civil Defense and the Dominican Institute of Meteorology (INDOMET)—have formalized a collaborative agreement to deploy specialized meteorological stations at high-priority strategic locations managed by the Civil Defense.
The inter-institutional partnership was signed by Juan Salas, representing the Dominican Civil Defense, and Gloria Ceballos, head of INDOMET. The core mission of the agreement is to reinforce the country’s national Early Warning System by enabling constant, real-time monitoring of changing atmospheric conditions, standardized collection of climate data, and rapid, widespread distribution of critical weather updates to relevant stakeholders. Ultimately, the project is designed to meaningfully improve the nation’s disaster prevention frameworks and community-focused risk management strategies.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, Salas outlined the operational structure of the new network: all installed stations will be overseen by specially trained Civil Defense staff posted across the country. This on-the-ground supervision will give national emergency authorities unprecedented, close-up visibility into developing weather patterns, allowing decision-makers to act far more quickly when hazards are detected. The enhanced monitoring capacity will directly support efforts to protect at-risk, vulnerable communities that face recurring exposure to severe natural events including Atlantic hurricanes, tropical storms, and widespread river and coastal flooding.
For her part, Ceballos detailed the technical specifications of the equipment being rolled out: the new stations are thermopluviometric units purpose-built to collect precise, continuous measurements of rainfall and key climate variables. This granular data will help emergency planners and forecasters rapidly pinpoint geographic zones that face elevated risk of flash floods and other sudden, weather-driven disasters. Ceballos confirmed that INDOMET will take responsibility for providing ongoing technical support and specialized expert guidance to Civil Defense teams throughout the implementation and operation of the new monitoring network, ensuring the system delivers reliable, actionable data for years to come.