One person died and hundreds were displaced as a sweeping crisis unfolded in the wake of Fiona across the Dominican Republic. The country faced widespread power outages, rising floodwaters, a collapsed bridge, and trees toppled by powerful gusts. This was the stark landscape left by the storm on the Monday following Fiona’s passage.
The meteorological event was classified as category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, the lowest tier on the five-point scale, yet its effects were felt in every corner of the nation. In response, authorities designated the most affected provinces as emergency zones to coordinate relief and recovery: La Altagracia, La Romana, El Seibo, Hato Mayor, and Monte Plata in the east, along with María Trinidad Sánchez, Duarte, and Samaná to the northeast. This classification aimed to streamline aid, shelter, and infrastructure restoration for communities facing rain, floods, and strong winds.
A spokesperson from the presidency indicated that a high-priority visit would be made to La Altagracia the following day, reflecting the scale of impact in one of the hardest-hit regions. Fiona stands as the first hurricane to strike the Dominican Republic in nearly two decades, underscoring the ongoing vulnerability of coastal communities to tropical systems and the importance of rapid disaster-response measures.
The day’s developments raised questions about engagements abroad, including whether the president would attend the United Nations General Assembly as initially planned. The administration stressed that immediate, on-the-ground needs—food, shelter, and medical care—took precedence, and any international travel would be kept brief if it occurred at all, prioritizing local stabilization over diplomatic appearances.
As winds carried the storm’s force from Fiona, which had impacted Puerto Rico the day earlier, the town of Nagua in the northeast reported the human toll of the event. A 72-year-old man, Franklyn Taveras, the city’s Civil Defense Director, was killed when a tree fell while he was attempting to prune it, underscoring the real dangers of storm debris in residential areas.
Emergency authorities documented that 789 residents evacuated their homes and more than 11,500 electricity customers lost service due to the hurricane’s reach, which also affected about 54 homes. Concurrently, a bridge on a major roadway near Duarte province collapsed, highlighting infrastructure vulnerabilities in the wake of heavy rainfall and gusting winds.
With Fiona’s winds reaching 150 kilometers per hour and higher, the eastern and northeastern provinces saw widespread trees, power lines, and other utilities brought down. The nation’s international gateways—the Juan Bosch and La Romana airports in Samaná, along with the Arroyo Barril airport in Samaná—remained closed for safety, while Punta Cana International Airport resumed operations later that afternoon after a cautious rerouting of the first post-storm flight.
The National Health Service reported disruptions to maternity and mother-child facilities in La Altagracia. In one hospital, strong winds damaged the exterior fencing, and in another, a power outage resulted from downed lines. In response, the Executive Board issued emergency procedures authorizing twenty government agencies to take swift action on medicine, food distribution, energy resilience, water supply, welfare, and education, among other essential services.
Officials anticipated continued rainfall and a sustained risk of downpours into Tuesday, prompting continued vigilance in the most affected regions. Authorities worked to maintain alert levels in the capital and surrounding areas, focusing on rapid response to weather-developed hazards and ongoing recovery operations for communities grappling with the aftermath of Fiona.