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Tropical Storm Floods Dominican Republic
Posted: Tuesday, October 30, 2007
By David Savona
In the Dominican Republic, a man walks next to the sea during a tropical storm in Santo Domingo on Sunday. A tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Noel in the Caribbean Sea south of Haiti on Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
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Tropical Storm Noel soaked the Dominican Republic yesterday with drenching rains, killing an estimated 20 people and rendering thousands homeless as rivers overflowed throughout the country. The rains were particularly strong between Santo Domingo and Bonao, the latter an area where Dominican wrapper tobacco is grown.
The storm dropped as much as 30 inches of rain on the island of Hispaniola, according to Weather.com. The downpours swamped Chateau de la Fuente, the farm in Bonao where Tabacalera A. Fuente y Cia. grows wrapper for its Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars.
"Chateau de la Fuente is flooded -- I can't even get there," said Carlos Fuente Jr., president of Tabacalera A. Fuente. There was no tobacco in the ground, or in seedbeds, so no tobacco has been lost, but the complete damage is unable to determine at this time. "Trees are down at the entrance. There is no access to the farm. We could lose the farm. I don't know if we will be able to plant or not."
Fuente lets his Fuente Fuente OpusX cigars age for one year before releasing them, but he is loathe to ship what can't be replaced. "If I can't produce [cigars]," he said, "I can't release."
The storm had been forecast to hit Haiti, but it made an unexpected move and instead made landfall in the Dominican Republic, catching some unaware. The storm had minimal winds but soaking rains, and overflowing rivers. Fuente said the Rio Yuna, which abuts the main portion of the farm, overflowed, turning his tobacco fields into what resembles a lake.
Despite the troubles, Fuente expressed concern for those in the Dominican affected by the storm. "It would be very selfish to think about the future of Chateau de la Fuente with so many people losing their homes," he said.
General Cigar Co., also grows tobacco in the Bonao region, and Cigar Aficionado Online was awaiting comment from the company to see what, if any, impact the storm had on its properties.
As this story was posted, Noel was over central Cuba. It was expected to turn north and then east, where it could strengthen over water.
Photo by REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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