Following Hurricane Julia’s early Sunday blow on Nicaragua’s central Caribbean coast, at least 28 people have died and counting. After rising in the Pacific, it is currently dumping severe rains over Guatemala and El Salvador. El Salvador and Guatemala’s coastlines were expected to experience life-threatening surf and rip conditions, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Five people lost their lives in Honduras, including a woman who passed away on Sunday after being carried away by floodwaters. According to officials, a four-year-old kid was also killed when a boat capsized on Saturday night close to the Nicaraguan border.
Five individuals were buried after a hillside collapsed on their house in Alta Verapaz, killing them, according to Guatemala’s disaster prevention office. Nine individuals, including a soldier who was there saving people, perished in the province of Huehuetenango, which is close to Mexico.
El Salvadorian authorities said that five soldiers from the Salvadoran army who had taken refuge in a home in Comasagua perished when a wall fell. El Salvador has declared a state of emergency due to the overflowing rivers, and 80 public storm shelters have been opened. In the village of Guatajiagua in eastern El Salvador, a house wall fell, killing two people. In El Salvador, two more men perished as a result of falling trees and currents.
The flooding and rising streams in Guatemala have forced over 1,300 people to leave their homes. Heavy rains are also occurring in Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica, where some roadways have been closed as a result of the downpours.
9,500 people had been evacuated to shelters in Nicaragua, according to vice president Rosario Murillo, who spoke to TN8 television. In Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica, there were also reports of heavy rainfall and evacuations; parts of the country’s highways were shut down as a result.
Southern Mexico and Central America are under a flood and mudslide warning from the NHC through Tuesday, with isolated areas anticipating up to 15 inches of rain.
As it moves along the Guatemalan coast, Julia was anticipated to weaken later on Monday. According to a report published on Sunday by Colombia’s national disaster office, Julia tore off the roofs of several homes and uprooted trees when it passed San Andres Island, which is located east of Nicaragua. There were no reports of fatalities as of yet.
