DominicanToday.com - With 64% of its population on coastal zones, 22 of the 31 provinces prone to flooding and a considerable part of its rugged territory known for landslides, starting today and until November 30 the Dominican Republic enters one of the most active hurricane seasons ever predicted by experts.

Forecasters predict that around 15 named tropical events would affect at least the countries located on the Atlantic route this year. Of these, eight may become hurricanes, and four of those intense.

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) will reportedly present the season’s prevention plan this week, whereas the Civil Defense (CD) announced the availability of 2,557 shelters with a capacity for 856,396 people in case of evacuations.

CD operations chief Delfin Rodriguez said the shelters include sports clubs, churches, premises of neighbor boards, with government offices as a second choice, and public schools as a last resort.

Last weekend Civil Defense director Luis Luna assigned more than 500 shelters, protective equipment and building signs and orientation materials to the entity’s managers nationwide, aimed at protecting life and property.

He said the signs will show the access routes to the shelters to prepare for an event which requires the displacement of people, adding that they are located in strategic places to better help residents in vulnerable zones.