Santo Domingo.– As hurricane Earl gains strength, the Dominican eastern provinces from La Romana to Cabo Engaño, Samana, La Altagracia, El Seibo and Hato Mayor are under alert.
According to the National Meteorology Office, Earl carried sustained winds of 169 kph and was a Category 2 hurricane in the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity. It is expected to become a major hurricane by tonight or early Tuesday.
Earl is expected to produce between 4 and 8 inches of rainfall over the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Man all stations!