Dominican officials to cancel classes, warning of flooding and power outages

Heavy rains in the Dominican Republic are causing power outages and forcing officials to suspend classes at some public and private schools

ByThe Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Heavy rains in the Dominican Republic caused power outages on Wednesday and forced officials to suspend classes at some public and private schools.

The government also ordered nonessential employees to work remotely as authorities warned of flooding and possible landslides, with more than a dozen provinces under alert, including the capital, Santo Domingo.

Listín Diario, a local newspaper, reported that more than 20 communities were cut off in the province of San José de Ocoa, located just northwest of Santo Domingo, after a river overflowed its banks.

Crews also evacuated nearly a dozen older people to safety and rescued a man who became trapped in a sewer in the capital, according to the Civil Defense agency.

The heavy rains began on Monday and are expected to dwindle by Wednesday night.