Tropical weather’s major drawback: hurricane season!

October 3, 2019 8:34 pm



The Caribbean is renowned for having the most desirable climate of the planet, with temperatures between 25-32°C all year round. It’s never cold and arguably too hot for those who come to visit and want to escape winter, and rain falls rhythmically keeping everything fresh and leafy  (that’s why it’s called paradise!).

The best time to come to the DR is generally considered to be December to April, when it’s cooler, drier and less humid. May to November, on the other hand, can be super humid, with possible hurricanes since hurricane season officially runs from June 1st to November 30th. During this annual hurricane season, July is the best month to travel,  Debbies Dominican Travel says that the reason for this interesting fact is that Hurricanes gain intensity above warm water, and during July, strong easterly winds are dominant, forcing colder sea water underneath to rise to the surface.

Some Caribbean regions are far more prone to being hit by hurricanes than others. Hurricanes occur most frequently in the north eastern Caribbean, around Cuba, Florida and here, the Dominican Republic. The reason behind this is because most storms form around the Atlantic Ocean and they are charged by warm water and moist air – something the Caribbean has plenty of in the soggy summer months. The tropical storms grow in intensity, and as the warm air rises, thunderstorms occur. The hurricanes are, in effect, a huge cluster of thunderstorms. Also, meteorologists call the “hurricane graveyard” to the effect the region has that causes many tropical cyclones which meet their demise once the touch base in the region.

“The faster the warm air rises, the more it churns the surface – causing huge waves at sea and powerful winds. Both the winds and the subsequent waves and flooding pose a threat to coastal communities. Hurricanes are fueled by warm water, which is why they ease off when traveling over land. It is also why these tiny islands, surrounded by the tepid Caribbean Sea, are particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, says  Debbies Dominican Travel.

If you ask us, September is the worst month of the year for Caribbean weather because it’s the worst month of the annual hurricane season (Wander Wisdom would agree as well)

Despite the rarity of storms, most areas in the Dominican Republic have seen storms at some point. Hurricanes San Zenón, David and Georges have been the worst ones. Other powerful storms like Irma or María have affected part of the country but not like any of these.. 

Since 1998, though, DR hasn’t received any major hurricane or storm and since Georges (which affected all telecommunications and electrical service for weeks), a lot of safety measures have taken place. Hotels and business are very well-versed in all hurricane preparedness, so If by any chance you happen to be caught in DR because of a hurricane, they will provide adequate instructions. 

But, what If you get caught in DR because of a hurricane or you have a property in the country and you want to protect them, for example? Well, we have some recommendations for you in case this happens. 

Buy the basics…

One of the main and basic precautions we recommend is having enough water, cans of food, candles and matches with you when a Hurricane is announced. These basics can get you out of trouble in case you run out of gas or water or the power is off. 

Also, don’t forget to get batteries. If you own an electrical plant,  buy some fuel for it. It can be helpful as well to have a mini radio or portable TV so you can be in the know with the latest news (this in case you don’t have any power and/or internet connection). 

Make sure your property is safe

A lot of you ask us how to protect your properties in case of a hurricane and we always say the same thing: shutters! Many projects under construction or properties bought in pre construction are already protected with shutters; no wonder everyone is buying them. 

If you purchased a re-sale, then feel free to ask us how to protect it and we’ll be happy to help you. 

What about property insurance?

Property insurance isn’t very common but it exists. We talked to our insurance advisor and she came up with a short list of musts once acquiring property insurance: 

  1. First, evaluation. An insurance company will quote your property depending on how near your property is from the beach; which type of construction is and how it is at the moment. They evaluate before offering you a plan that suits you.
  2. Second, when they evaluate and consider you for insurance protection, you must give them the following information: 
    1. Name
    2. ID number or RNC
    3. Edification:
    4. Inventory:
    5. Furniture and Equipment:
    6. Machinery and Equipment:
    7. Specific goods:
    8. Valuable Objects:
    9. Electronic Equipment:
    10. Property location.

Take into account that even the most basic insurance plan has hurricane protection, so maybe you already have one. We recommend that you contact us for us to make the introduction to our insurance agent.

At Canablue we watch out for your security, first and most. So, If you need any assistance with making your property safe contact us and we’ll gladly help you.

Even in Hurricane Season, we make real estate easy.