The Government announced Friday that all measures taken in response to Tropical Storm Melissa, which is shaping up to become a hurricane in the coming hours, are in place.

The director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), Juan Manuel Méndez, said that this Saturday at 9:00 a.m., together with the National Institute of Meteorology (Indomet), they will review the restrictions on working hours and teaching that have been in place for the past 48 hours.

“We will review the measures in relation to Greater Santo Domingo, San Pedro de Macorís, and La Romana, and if necessary, we will lower the alert levels to return to normal life in this part of the capital and other provinces,” said the head of the COE at a press conference at the National Palace, chaired by President Luis Abinader.

Melissa, very erratic

Meanwhile, Storm Melissa remains almost stationary, moving at just 4 kilometers per hour, and “is shaping up to become a hurricane” in the coming hours, said Gloria Ceballos, director of Indomet.

Ceballos said the storm remains very erratic on its path through the Caribbean. “It’s been following different trajectories. This afternoon, it shifted east/southeast, increasing wind speeds. At 5:00 p.m., it’s moving at 100 kilometers per hour. That means it’s organizing itself to become a hurricane,” he said.

The director indicated that Melissa is projected to move northward and then turn westward, approaching the Haitian peninsula.