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At least 28 people died in Central America after the passage of Julia, which reached category 1 and later degraded into a tropical storm. Julia caused heavy rains, landslides and floods, leaving Guatemala and El Salvador as the most affected countries. Meanwhile, Mexican authorities are on high alert for the formation of Karl, a new tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, which is expected to impact the states of Veracruz and Chiapas.
The Caribbean has experienced nearly a week of heavy rain from the fifth tropical cyclone of the season.
The civil protection authorities of Guatemala reported the death of at least 13 people, four missing and 11 injured by the effects of the rains caused by tropical storm Julia.
Northern Guatemala experienced heavy rains, forcing the evacuation of around 4,800 people and reporting more than 380 houses severely damaged, authorities said.
In the meantime, The Savior reported on the death of ten people, including 5 soldiers who died after the collapse of a wall in the place where they were refugees.
I have instructed all government institutions to fly our flag at half-staff, for 3 days, in honor of the 10 Salvadorans who lost their lives in Tropical Storm Julia.
God bless our country and its people. pic.twitter.com/eJ7EUJAGU5
– Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) October 12, 2022
According to official data, the more than 24 hours of rain left at least 66 homes affected, 26 rivers overflowed, 86 landslides, 184 fallen trees and serious damage to coffee, corn and rice crops.
“Despite the fact that Julia has already dissipated on the border between Mexico and Guatemala, it will continue to rain all week,” said the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Marn) of El Salvador.
Julia’s journey through the Caribbean
Julia began her journey near the shores of the Colombian Caribbean on Friday, October 7 as a tropical storm, causing serious flooding in the department of La Guajira. According to the Ombudsman’s Office of that country, there are more than 4,000 victims and around 530 homes were affected and isolated due to the floods.
The tropical cyclone continued its journey through the Caribbean until it became a category 1 hurricane, according to the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) alert on Saturday night. The Colombian archipelago of San Andrés and Providencia activated all emergency protocols and urged its more than 60,000 inhabitants to seek safe refuge.
The eye of the hurricane passed 17 kilometers from the archipelago, registering winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. The Colombian authorities reported minor material damage, such as damage to the roofs of houses and falling trees, without registering victims.
Later Julia touched Nicaraguan territory in the municipality of Laguna de Perlas, with winds of 140 kilometers per hour, although it quickly reduced its fury until it became a tropical storm again.
The vice president of NicaraguaRosario Murillo, reported that at least 1,500 families were evacuated during the emergency and that around 2,000 residences were affected, without reporting fatalities.
The tropical storm continued its journey towards the Pacific Ocean, passing through Honduras, where the authorities confirmed the death of 4 people; landslides due to rainfall and the affectation of more than 100,000 people.
The Secretary of State in the National Risk and Contingency Management Offices of Honduras issued a red alert signal in 8 of the 18 departments of the country due to the rise in river levels.
Though Panama He did not receive Julia directly, his territory suffered the blow of the phenomenon with heavy rains and he reported the death of a woman on Friday night, after her home was destroyed by a landslide in the province of Colón.
Despite dissipating on the border between Mexico and Guatemalathe Mexican state of Acapulco was strongly affected by the rains caused by Julia, mainly in the city of Acapulco.
Internet users and local authorities reported flooding of more than a meter with strong currents, which managed to drag cars and affect houses and city infrastructure.
Mexico, under maximum alert for the formation of a new tropical storm
The National Water Commission (Conagua) reported the formation of tropical storm Karl in the Gulf of Mexico, which is expected to impact the city of Veracruz.
According to the entity, the storm will intensify in the next few hours, before touching the continent.
The NHC said Karl has maximum sustained winds of 70 kilometers per hour and is expected to bring heavy rain to the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, without having a real chance of becoming a hurricane.
With EFE, AFP and local media
