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Julia went from being a category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, with sustained rainfall in Central America. Despite being lighter than forecast, the rains generated by the cyclone caused the death of at least 25 people, material damage and displacement in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The area is still on high alert due to the possibility of new landslides and floods.
On its way to the Pacific Ocean, storm Julia has caused havoc mainly in El Salvador and Honduras. For their part, the Salvadoran authorities reported the death of at least 9 people, including five soldiers, due to the collapse of the wall of a house in which they sought refuge.
The authorities of The Savior declared a state of emergency and opened 80 storm shelters that are still in place.
The country’s president, Nayib Bukele, declared Sunday “National Day of Prayer”, after calling on his citizens to “join to pray and ask for God’s protection” before the passage of Julia.
In Honduras Five people have been confirmed dead, including a woman who was swept away by floodwaters and a four-year-old boy who was shipwrecked with his family in a boat near the Nicaraguan border.
Honduran authorities reported that around 9,200 people were forced to seek refuge.
Meanwhile in Guatemala, the death of five people is reported after the collapse of a hillside in the Alta Verapaz region. The country’s disaster agency said at least 1,300 people had to leave their homes in search of shelter.
The Caribbean experienced the fifth hurricane of the season, which began its journey in Colombian territory, passed 17 kilometers from the San Andrés and Providencia archipelago and entered Central America through Nicaraguan territory, with maximum winds of 140 km/h, where it weakened. and became a tropical storm.
The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) based in Miami reported that the storm continues its path along the coast of El Salvador and Guatemala with winds of 24 km / h. However, the rains are expected to intensify in southern Mexico and western Honduras.
Minor damage in Nicaragua and Colombia
In Nicaraguamore than a million people were left without electricity and Internet service due to the downing of lines due to the storm.
Rosario Murillo, vice president of Nicaragua, reported on state television that at least 9,500 people were evacuated to shelters.
? Work teams of the municipality of #Managua They continue to make visits and attend to the affected families in different parts of the capital due to the strong winds and constant rains left by the passing of the storm. #TropicalStormJulia
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— SINAPRED Nicaragua (@SINAPREDnic) October 10, 2022
The director of the National System for Disaster Prevention of Nicaragua, Guillermo González, reported that Julia did not cause any fatalities in the country but that more than 800 houses were affected by floods and many roofs were damaged.
“The event is not over,” González added and urged the population to stay alert and seek shelter if necessary, given the latent threat of more floods and landslides.
In Colombia, the president, Gustavo Petro, visited the island of San Andrés on Sunday to take stock of the damage caused by Julia, when it was still a hurricane. From there he gave an encouraging report, without reporting fatalities.
Colombia’s national disaster agency reported Sunday that Julia caused slight damage to some houses in the archipelago, knocking down trees and the roofs of some houses. After that, authorities and the civilian population clean up the debris produced by the strong winds.
Panama Y Costa Rica they also experienced heavy rains from Julia’s tail and reported damage to some roads and minor flooding.
Julia is expected to finish her journey in the Pacific Ocean during the early hours of Tuesday, after leaving Mexican territory.
With Reuters and AP
