Anniversary of San Zenon Hurricane in Dominican Republic
3 September 2018, marked the 88th anniversary of landfall in Santo Domingo of powerful Hurricane San Zenon. The hurricane destroyed the nation’s capital city and caused over 4,000 deaths and thousands of injuries, just two weeks after General Rafael L. Trujillo had taken over the Presidency of the Republic. The hurricane hit the city from the south in the afternoon as a category four, leaving thousands without a home, and leading to floods that destroyed roads and bridges.
Many who had lived in wooden homes that were destroyed left for the countryside to stay with friends. It has also always been said that the reason for the high death toll was that many unknowingly came out of their shelters during the eye of the storm when it was calm, and were then killed as it resumed.
Following the passing of the hurricane the capital city was left in a disastrous state due to collapsed bridges, no electricity or telephone networks, no drinking water and collapsed homes.
Many victims were buried under rubble and the work of identification was hard with the bodies being taken to what is now Eugenio María de Hostos Park on George Washington Avenue, where due to the large numbers, they were incinerated.
The country received help from the International Red Cross and other Caribbean islands, especially Puerto Rico, as the Dominican Republic had helped them the previous year following another terrible hurricane there.
Source: DR1, Hoy
Sep 6, 2018
Category: DR News |