Dozens Killed as Torrential Rains Pummel Dominican Republic, Haiti
NewsweekNov 21, 2023
In the last 48 hours, torrential storms have caused flooding, destroyed homes, and damaged infrastructure in the Dominican Republic. President Luis Abinader called the weather the "largest rainfall event ever" in the history of the nation.
The excessive rainfall over the weekend led to at least 21 deaths in the Caribbean island nation, including three children.
Small island nations like the Dominican Republic are particularly vulnerable to the extreme downpours associated with climate change since they often do not have the infrastructure to withstand these incredible forces of nature. It's vital that these nations bolster their preparedness planning and resilient infrastructure in the face of an onslaught of climate threats.
It's easy to dismiss any extreme weather event as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, they're usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the two.
There's a 50% chance that the total damage incurred by climate change in the 21st century, as measured by its impact on GDP, will be at least 10.98%, according to the Metaculus prediction community.