With the inclusion of brigades made up of more than 2 thousand men and women, equipped with all work clothing, including cranes, mechanical shovels or “Bobcats”, trucks, among others, the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) activated this Tuesday its emergency program on the occasion of the beginning of the cyclone season.
Minister Deligne Ascención, who led the presentation of the teams and representatives of the brigades in the institution’s club, explained that part of the institution’s protocol is activated and a series of preventive actions are available, “a “The purposes of mitigating the effects that natural phenomena may bring, in a season that according to specialists in the field will be among the most active in the last 20 years.”
He said that for these purposes, the different areas of the MOPC are having a staff of more than 2,000 men and women, who will be ready to carry out tasks that include the intervention of ravines and streams, as well as other specific actions, such as the improvement of drains.
He said that previously Public Works has already intervened a total of 14 ravines and 5 tributaries in different places, as well as the drainage system at the overpass on 27 de Febrero Avenue and Núñez de Cáceres, the same as in some points of the Las Américas highway, in all cases in the interest of avoiding flooding.
The intervened ravines include eight in the Santo Domingo Oeste municipality: Proalba I, II and III; Lola I and II; Arelis I and II, Brugal and Juan Guzmán. Also the Los Cerros canyon, in the province of La Altagracia; Arroyo Lebron, in Los Alcarrizos, and Gicaco, in the Sánchez Ramírez province.
The tributaries intervened are in the Guananico River, in Villa Altagracia; Veragua River, Espaillat province; La Jaguita, in Castillo; La Colonia, in Constanza, and the Yuma River, in La Altagracia.
Ascención explained that it is extremely important for citizens to be aware that the MOPC “has probably been carrying out the largest intervention in the construction of gabion walls that has been carried out in the country, providing a preventive response in some cases and in others in places with the latest events we have had, giving a response with the construction of several thousand linear meters of gabion walls.”
He indicated that Public Works is also having a quantity of equipment, and in this regard he said that yesterday, Monday, several trucks and other units were incorporated through the RD-Vial Trust that will be available for these prevention services, but also for reaction to the passing of events that could impact the country.
The MOOC, through the Directorate of Equipment and Transportation, reported that it has equipment that includes 28 dump trucks, 6 backhoes, 6 loaders, 4 mini-loaders, 2 bulldozers, and the resources to be used include 62 operators, 38 thousand gallons of diesel, and 5 million 132 thousand 251 pesos for food and lodging of the participants in the different days that take place.
Also, mechanical paddles or “Bobcats”, reflective lamps or luminaires, cranes, water pumps, etc.
The brigades that will carry out preventive and reaction work during the cyclonic season will be equipped with wheelbarrows, shovels, machetes, hoes, rakes, pickaxes, short and long axes, rubber boots, brooms, overalls or blankets, goat legs, protective helmets, pruning shears, caps.
Likewise, the institution has 36 thousand zinc sheets, 11 thousand units of wood and 8 thousand planks available to go to the aid of those families that are affected by some atmospheric phenomenon during the current cyclonic season.
Ascención expressed that all the actions carried out by the MOPC emergency committee are also coordinated, giving participation to city councils at the national level.
Accompanying Vice Minister Ascención in the activity were Vice Ministers Roberto Herrera, Mélito Santana, Luis Bastardo, Tomasina Pascual and Elías Santana; the Administrative and Financial Director, Alex Ramírez; the Financial Director, Virgilio de los Santos; the director of the Military and Police Commission, Major General Rafael Vásquez Espínola; of Equipment and Transportation, Élido Alcántara; as well as Demetrio Luciano, Mitzi Lluberes, Karina Cedano, Yasmina )Veras and Pedro Rodríguez Cabral, among others.
Source: RC
