By The Star Staff
Bureau of Emergency Management and Disaster Administration Commissioner Nino Correa Filomeno called on citizens Thursday to be cautious with the heavy rains forecast for this weekend.
“Our soils are already extremely saturated by the rain that has fallen across the island in recent days,” Correa Filomeno said in a written statement. “This is why we are concerned that this weekend it is forecast to rain heavily, so there is a high risk of urban, road, river and stream flooding. Flash floods and landslides could also occur.”
“We call on our people not to cross flooded roads, because if they don’t have to leave their home, all the better,” he added. “And if you live in a flood-prone area, take the necessary measures to go to a relative’s house before the expected rain.”
Meteorologist Ernesto Morales, the warnings coordinator at the National Weather Service, said that the expected heavy rains are caused by a stationary trough over Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands “that has remained stationary … over the past few weeks.”
“The situation looks quite challenging for Puerto Rico for at least the next few days,” he said Thursday, advising of “increasing showers and thunderstorms, especially on Friday and Saturday.”
“Because of this, there is a high risk for flooding to occur during this weekend,” Morales said.
The National Weather Service in San Juan issued a flood watch for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which will be in effect from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon.
Areas that could be hit hardest include the southeastern and eastern sections of Puerto Rico, as well as Vieques, Culebra and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Expected rainfall accumulations range from 2 to 4 inches in those areas, with isolated amounts that could reach between 6 and 8 inches. In other areas, between 1 and 3 inches of rain is expected.