Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's that time of year here in the Dominican Republic... flashfloods, tropical storms, hurricanes... oh wait - no it's not. Hurricane season is almost over!!! In the three years that I have lived here, I have never ever seen this kind of rain so late in the season.
Early last week, tropical storm Noel wreaked havoc on central DR... not because of the winds that come with the storms, but because of the out of control flooding. Last count, there were more than 90 official, reported deaths.



Yesterday, we went to the supermarket with the baby. The sky was a little gray when we left and by the time we left the store, it was pouring. The street filled up so fast, but we braved it and headed out to pick up Amalio at school. The little rent-a-car my parents have barely cleared the rushing water... we could FEEL the water moving underneath of us.




There were a lot of backups and one huge detour. But by the time we got to Amalio's school, the rain had stopped and the streets were already clearing out.

I haven't been out to look at the mess on my street yet, these pictures are from one of the main highways in Santiago. Amazing.

The last picture is of my parents with Samil. They arrived yesterday and are leaving tomorrow. It's a short visit, but we'll be heading home in December for some more quality time with the family.