Tropical storm Tomas arouses alerts across Dominican R.

The Dominican Republic on Thursday declared alerts across the country due to the pouring rains caused by tropical storm Tomas, authorities said Thursday.

"We suggest the people take preventive measures, mainly those people living in areas where there are flooding and landslides," Johny Gomez, representative of the National Meteorological Office, said at a press conference.

The red alert is for Barahona, Bahoruco, Pedernales, Independencia, San Juan de la Maguana and Elias Pina.

Meantime, Azua, Dajabon, Montecristi, Santiago Rodriguez, La Vega, Espaillat, Hermanas Mirabal, Duarte, Mairia Trinidad Sanchez and San Cristobal are under yellow alert.

The green alert is for the provinces of Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Monte Plata, Sanchez Ramirez, San Jose de Ocoa, Monsenor Nouel, Santiago and Puerto Plata.

Gomez said Tomas will continue for at least three days, and there will be rains even after Tomas leaves the country.

The rains have already caused Yaque del Sur River in the south to overflow.

Tomas is moving north-northwest at a speed of some 13 km per hour at a latitude of 15.8 degrees north and a longitude of 76.1 degrees west, at some 510 km southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, and 540 km west-southwest of Beata Island.

Tomas has maximum sustained winds of 85 kph.

According to forecasts, Tomas will move by the Winds Canal, between Haiti and Jamaica in the northeast direction.

The storm will reach Haiti's western coasts on Friday morning, with the possibility of becoming a hurricane of category one.

Source: Xinhua