Tropical Storm Franklin makes landfall and dumps heavy rain on Haiti, Dominican Republic

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tropical Storm Franklin made landfall Wednesday on the island of Hispaniola shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, bringing fears it would trigger deadly landslides and heavy flooding in both countries.

Franklin was expected to swirl above the island for most of the day, with forecasters warning the storm could dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, with a maximum of 15 inches (38 centimeters) for the central region of Hispaniola.

On Wednesday morning, the storm was centered about 105 miles (170 kilometers) west-southwest of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It had maximum winds of 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts and was moving northward at 10 mph (17 kph). It made landfall along the country’s southern coast near Bahahona.

Emergency operations officials said they were looking for a 54-year-old man with mental health problems who went missing after he jumped into a creek late Tuesday.

Read more at: Associated Press

Source: CARICOM TODAY