San Salvador – Central America suffered the effects of Hurricane Julia, which worsened until it disappeared on the territory of Guatemala. In the almost 48 hours that the phenomenon lasted, At least 30 people lost their lives.
As climatic conditions improve, balances will accrue on the physical damage left by the storm. This is as of Tuesday afternoon, October 11th.
Nicaragua
The areas of Bluefields and Corn Island in the Nicaraguan Caribbean were hit by Julia, the hit Nicaragua early Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane, with wind speeds of 140 kilometers per hour.
The government mobilized aid for the reconstruction of both cities on Monday. “This is where we had the most direct impact on housing,” said Rosario Murillo, Nicaragua’s vice president.
“We are going to the most urgent thing, which is to take care of families Bluefields and Corn Island, which have lost almost all of their roofs and make up more or less 10% of the population.” Murillo explained to the media.
On Monday there were still Restoring power to 195,152 families in the country, Drinking water was missing 31,672. In the Caribbean, more than 36% of residents were without electricity.
Murillo announced they will help more than half a million people prevent epidemics such as leptospirosis, dengue and malaria, particularly in Caribbean communities.
During the emergency, Guillermo González, Ministerial Director of SINAPRED Nicaragua, estimated that 250 trees were down, 1,500 families were affected, 3,000 homes were flooded and 78 rivers overflowed, among other damage. Unofficial sources estimate between 1 and 2 deaths in Nicaragua due to the passage of Juliet.
The saviour
President Nayib Bukele lamented the deaths of 10 people due to the passage of Tropical Storm Julia. Among the victims are five Navy Marines buried in Comasagua.
Yesterday I visited the soldiers at the collapse site where 5 of our heroes died and another one was badly injured. pic.twitter.com/mOUwR9CzmU
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) October 11, 2022
El Salvador opened 35 shelters and suffered 22 cases of landslides, 19 river floods and 113 downed trees, according to preliminary figures. About 50 houses were damaged and more than 80 roads were blocked.
Civil defence, fire brigade and aid organizations carried out 513 evacuation actions, detailed Luis Alonso Amaya, Director of Civil Protection.
The most critical situation was experienced in the departments of Santa Ana and San Miguel; in the latter, 112 people were rescued due to the flooding of the Urbina Bridge; In addition, the delta of the Rio Grande de San Miguel has overflowed.
“In the Berlin area (Usulután) we had 260 millimeters of precipitation. This rainfall at this time of year is very critical,” Anaya noted.
Guatemala
The National Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction reported that Julia had left the tropical depression 547,797 affected and 13 deceased, in a report he made on the morning of November 11
In addition, 1,665 people at risk are registered, 2,027 affected, 4,846 evacuated, 9,221 cared for, 1,867 cared for, 4 missing and 11 injured.
The deceased were registered in the following departments: Huehuetenango (8) and Alta Verapaz (5). In terms of damage, 504 homes are registered as at risk, 77 with minor damage, 1,564 with moderate damage and 386 with severe damage. 70 roads are affected; 10 bridges affected and 5 destroyed.
40% of trucks were stranded across the country, which also suffered from the temporary closure of the sea terminals of Puerto Quetzal (Pacific) and Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla (Atlantic).
Travelers saw their flights being diverted to La Aurora International Airport and were addressing the suspension of tourist visits. Crops have also been lost.
Honduras
In Honduras, Julia impacted 13 of the 18 departments in 48 communities, reported Edwin Aguilera, chief of operations for the Permanent Contingency Committee (COPECO).
The provisional balance includes 17,153 people and refugees evacuated from Julia, particularly in the departments of Cortés in the west of the country; as well as Choluteca, Valle and El Paraíso; and six deceased.
“This is added to the total impact and number of rain damages in the last three weeks of September, which reflected the last report from 80,000 people,” the official lamented.
The humanitarian aid amounts to 20,000 rations, plus the distribution of mats, blankets and hygiene kits. An emergency decree will remain in effect for three months, Aguilera recalled.
Costa Rica
Werner Stolz, director of the National Meteorological Institute, explained this Julia left up to 260 millimeters of rain in South Pacific Costa Rica, where the red alert has been activated. Guanacaste in the North Pacific and the Central Valley also saw heavy rainfall.
The National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response reported 300 refugees in 10 shelters and the attention of 180 incidents, mainly flooding. However, no deaths were reported.
Panama
The Panama government ministry on Monday afternoon lifted the yellow and green alert it was maintaining over state territory for Julia.
The National Disaster Management System (Sinaproc) evacuated more than 200 people from Tierras Altas, a coffee farm in Chiriquí. In total there are about 260 people in emergency shelters.
Authorities reported the death of one person in Colón from a landslide. Tuesday afternoon found four missing persons in Changuinola after being incommunicado for 36 hours due to a river flood.