Dominican Republic Readies For Isaac
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (CBSMiami) — In the Dominican Republic, authorities began to evacuate people from low-lying areas but encountered resistance.
"Nobody wants to leave their homes for fear they'll get robbed," said Francisco Mateo, community leader of the impoverished La Cienaga neighborhood in Santo Domingo, the capital.
The Dominican government plans to close all nine airports by dawn Friday, said Alejandro Herrera, civil aviation director. Schools closed by Thursday afternoon.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the entire country.
Forecasters predict the center of Tropical Storm Isaac will approach the southern coast of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Friday night.
Isaac was expected to dump eight to 12 inches of rain on the island.
"That kind of rain is going to cause some life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the Hurricane Center in Miami.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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