QCOSTARICA – The central Pacific, as well as Guanacaste and the canton of Upala, in the northern zone (Alajuela), are on an orange alert due to the intensification of the rains in that area due to the indirect influence of Hurricane Eta.
The National Emergency Commission (CNE) announced the modification of alerts late Tuesday afternoon, due to the saturation of soils and swollen rivers in Guanacaste, where some families had to take refuge shelters due to heavy rains as night fell.
For this Wednesday, the national weather service, the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) – is forecasting rainfall and cloudy skies to persist in almost the entire country, similar to Tuesday.
Alexánder Solís, president of the CNE, stated that there are already 33 affected cantons in the Central Valley, South Pacific, Puntarenas and Guanacaste.
Tilarán, Liberia, Abangares, and Nandayure are, for now, the most affected communities, as well as Nosara, Sámara and Nicoya, where two bridges collapsed and some towns were cut off.
Also ‘moderate’ landslides have occurred on several national routes, as the National Highway Council (Conavi) crews work to clear the debris and reopen the roads.
The Interamericana Sur (Ruta 2) in the Sinaí and Vergel de Osa and the section between Palmar Norte de Osa and Paso Real de Buenos Aires, is under “paso regulado”, so expect delays going through those aras.
In Corredores, farms 42, 45, and 60 registered flooding due to the overflow of channels and the flooding of the Corredores and Colorado rivers.
In Pérez Zeledón el Barú, the rivers are being monitored, as in the central Pacific. While in the north Pacific they Millal, Bongo, Ora, Bebedero and Abangares rivers are being closely watched.
In the north Pacific (Guanacaste) more than 70 flood incidents were reproted by the CNE.
Influence persists
Hurricane Eta entered mainland Nicaragua around noon Tuesday as a category 4 hurricane with winds of more than 240 kilometers per hour. However, by 7:00 pm it had already dropped to category 2 and its winds at 175 kilometers per hour.
The bands associated with the cyclone generated a storm of variable intensity in various areas of the Pacific and persistent rains between weak and moderate in the Central Valley that could extend into Thursday morning.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) affirmed that the system will continue its movement over Nicaraguan territory, progressively losing intensity and, subsequently, it will enter Honduran soil today, Wednesday, around noon, as a tropical depression.
Three dead in Nicaragua and Honduras
Hurricane Eta leaves three dead in Nicaragua and Honduras – two men in Nicaragua and a girl in Honduras – due to the intense rains.
The two Nicaraguans died while working in an makeshift mine in the municipality of Bonanza, in the Caribbean zone, the director of the local Red Cross, Auner García, told Nicaragua’s channel 10 television.
In Honduras, the young girl died due to the collapse of a house in northern San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in the country, according to Honduran authorities.
Eta has caused downpours in much of Central America.
