Tornado - La Vega?

[whirleybird]

Our thoughts are with those who have been affected so badly today by this tornado - we had a strong wind then torrential rain for a short while with plenty of thunder and some lightening but nothing worse than that - we have had no electricity since about 4pm though. We are just outside Sabaneta.

[Lambada]

Pics here:
Tormenta inesperada mata señora en La Vega y destruye tarima al PLD

One fatality, 4 or 7 injured & PLD campaign in Samaná suspended seems to be consensus (depending on which paper you read)
Tornados y granizadas provocan una muerte y hieren a 4 personas

http://www.elcaribecdn.com/articulo_...B5E&Seccion=63

http://www.elcaribecdn.com/articulo_...07C&Seccion=63

Bienvenidos al Hoy Digital

Puerto Plata Digital

More pics here:

Puerto Plata Digital

Power out all afternoon & evening in Puerto Plata, still is at half after midnight.

[Keith R]

Have there been other tornados in the DR in the past? I've been associated with the DR since 1986, and can't recall another.

[Lambada]

At last! Power just back in Puerto Plata.

[Chirimoya]

Originally Posted by Keith R

Have there been other tornados in the DR in the past? I've been associated with the DR since 1986, and can't recall another.

There was a major one in Dajabón last year, and there may have been one or two others.

La República - Un tornado destruye decenas de casas y deja 15 heridos Dajabón

[Keith R]

So the La Vega tornado is not as unusual an event as I thought. Thanks, Chiri!

[M.A.R.]

Originally Posted by Keith R

So the La Vega tornado is not as unusual an event as I thought. Thanks, Chiri!

I was in a tornado, but this was probably in the late 70's, just in our campo it happened. it was May 15th , day before the elections, the next day many trees were in the ground broken and twisted off their trunks. It happened around 8pm and it lasted for a good while. Our campo is made up of two large hills and the storm just dropped in between and the tornado was created. We asked the neighboring campos and everyone said they just had some strong rain that night.....it was scary stuff i tell you.....my aunts kept doing some special prayer to divert the wind.

[DrChrisHE]

For those who have interests on the South side...SPM had one land too! Shocking to me as I thought we "only" had hurricanes, TSs, tsunamis, etc. We've lived through tornados in the US and NEVER expected one here. In the US there are tornado alarms. Does ANYONE know if there are such things here????

[cobraboy]

Originally Posted by Keith R

Have there been other tornados in the DR in the past? I've been associated with the DR since 1986, and can't recall another.

I'm told by Alida they are fairly common. Not the killer ones, but lesser tornados.

[Keith R]

When I told my wife about the La Vega tornado, she was shocked. She claims she doesn't remember any tornadoes in the DR from her childhood. Hurricanes, yes several, violent/windy storms yes several, earthquakes, yes a couple. But not tornadoes. Maybe that's because she grew up a capitaleña (in SD)? However, she had relatives sprinkled around the country and her family always knows what's up with the rest of the family, so if they had had a close brush with a tornado it'd probably be part of family lore. Or maybe it's a more recent phenomenon (as in last 30 years or so)? She did move to the US at college age in the mid-1970s.