SANTO DOMINGO - The lack of adequate storm drainage was evident yesterday in the Dominican Capital when heavy rains soaked the city during the morning turning it into a huge lake. Traffic was snarled for hours as the majority of the main roads were impassable.

Many a Dominican arrived late to their places of work or did not turn up at all due to the lack of public transport which was also affected. On the Francisco Carias street and Winston Churchill intersection, Tania Torres and her little three year old were trapped in their Honda CRV, and had to be rescued by volunteers and members of the Fire Department of Santo Domingo. A small puddle appeared in the corner of the suv and gradually grew in size and nearly drowned the mother and her daughter.

Along the Malecon and George Washington Avenue, scenes were similar to the Italian city of Venice.

The Emergency Operations Centre (COE) has reported that several communities have been cut off by floods caused by swelling rivers. Also affected were some 32,000 hectares of crops in the San Cristobal area