Natural Hazards: Causes and Effects - Disaster Management Center ...

Altogether the combined disaster officially killed 9,796, with 4,258 missing; unofficial reports
held that there were 25,800–31,000 dead, 5.462 million homeless, and millions more affected.
Included in the impact was damage or destruction to over 1,400,000 houses, damage to
irrigation works, roads, rail systems, public buildings and installations, and power and
telecommunications networks, totaling U.S. $110,300,000. The fishing and weaving industries
sustained damage valued at $22,705,881; 1,420,550 hectares (3,510,000 acres) of crops,
23,000 head of cattle and sheep, and 5,000 poultry birds were lost with an estimated value of
over $353 million. 2
Dominican Republic, August and September 1979
In August and September of 1979 two of the strongest and most destructive hurricanes of the
twentieth century ripped through the Caribbean, causing terrible destruction to Dominica and
more still to the Dominican Republic. The summary of the damage by sector is as follows:
Electric Power. The hurricanes caused extensive damage to the Dominican Republic’s electric
power system. Hydroelectric power plants at Valdesia and Tavera were damaged and knocked
out of operation. The transmission system from Santo Domingo southwest to Azua was almost
totally destroyed, while more than 35 percent of the distribution systems in the towns of Bani
and San Cristobal were down. In general, 20-70 percent of the country’s power lines were
down, depending on the particular area. The financial and other resources of the Dominican
Electricity Corporation were not adequate to cope with the task of reestablishing and repairing
the system, especially since such materials as poles, wire, and transformers were in very short
supply.
Housing. Shelter needs in the wake of the storms were very high. Approximately 57,000
dwellings, housing some 350,000 people, (most of them poor) were severely damaged or
destroyed. The heaviest damage was in the provinces west of Santo Domingo, often in isolated
and mountainous rural locations. In one area of 160 square kilometers (100 square miles)
between and to the north of Bani and San Cristobal, 75 percent of all housing was destroyed,
apparently by wind. Most damage was to roofs, although in many cases doors and windows
were also destroyed. The destruction of housing and other community infrastructure created
serious health and refugee problems.
Agriculture. The total estimated value of losses of crops and chickens from the combined effect
of wind and water damage was set at U.S. $266.5 million, about 25 percent of estimated
agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Most of the damage was to small farms. Physical
damage to irrigation, farm and poultry industry installations, and small marine fisheries was
estimated at an additional $46.4 million. As a result of storm damage, there were considerable
shortages of traditional low-income food crops, mainly plantains and root crops, necessitating
greatly increased food imports. Lost exports, primarily coffee, were valued at about $100
million. The combined effect of increased food imports and lost export income was to
significantly worsen the Dominican Republic’s already strained balance of payments situation.
Dominican forests were savaged by the storms. Approximately 94,000 trees, mostly pine and
primarily in public forests and parks, were felled. The fallen trees represented a potentially
valuable resource in terms of the lumber that could be recovered from them. However, damage
to the forests represented a serious environmental threat in terms of potential erosion, silting,
flooding, etc.