Julia’ makes landfall in Nicaragua as a hurricane

The storm has caused damage mainly in Nicaragua

Hurricane ‘Julia’ has made landfall in Nicaragua early Sunday morning, specifically in the Laguna de Perlas area of the Autonomous Region of the Southern Caribbean Coast. The Government maintains the yellow alert throughout the national territory, as well as the suspension of navigation.

The storm is a category 1 hurricane, the lowest on the Saffir-Simpson scale of five, and made landfall at 01.15 hours, when it generated sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour and was moving at 26 kilometers per hour in a westerly direction.

The strong winds have caused the detachment of roofs of houses, knocked down trees, knocked down power lines and left some coastal areas without power. In addition, the rains have caused flooding in some sectors, according to local authorities and the portal 100% Noticias.

The storm has lost power after making landfall, although not on the scale predicted by the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER), and has caused problems in communications between the Caribbean coast and the rest of the country. Many areas remain isolated, so there is not yet a complete damage assessment.

The mayor of Bluefields, Gustavo Castro, has reported that at least three shelters have been activated due to the effects of the storm in this town, the main coastal city of southeastern Nicaragua.

Nicaragua’s National Committee for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (COMUPRED) has already managed the evacuation of neighbors in the area who were at risk of flooding, reports the news portal 100% Noticias.

Authorities foresee that the storm will lose strength as it advances over land to gain power again when it reaches Pacific waters after crossing the entire country.

The National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention has decreed a “state of yellow alert throughout the national territory” and has activated all institutions and emergency plans and prepared transportation, shelter and protection for the protection of people at risk.

Nicaraguan authorities expect to have 345 temporary shelter centers available to provide shelter to 68,896 people from 166,047 homes located in 205 critical points, of which, 174 are susceptible to flooding and 31 to landslides….

SINAPRED has also forecast possible flooding in the departments (provinces) of Chinandega (northwest), Jinotega (north), Matagalpa (north), Nueva Segovia (north) and Rivas (southeast).

Also other countries threatened by the arrival of ‘Julia’, such as El Salvador, have begun to take measures before the arrival of the storm. At the request of the Council of Ministers, the Salvadoran Parliament has approved a declaration of “national emergency” in view of “the climatic situation that the country may face due to the hurricane”.

The country’s president, Nayib Bukele has declared this Sunday as a “day of prayer”. “And although we are preparing as much as we can, all Salvadorans are invited to join in prayer and ask for God’s protection,” he has made known on his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, on the island of San Andres, of Colombian sovereignty, the storm has caused damage to 101 homes and two people are injured. In addition there are two destroyed houses and some fallen trees. Authorities consider the damage to have been “slight”.

The Colombian Navy has sent 900 men and women on the missile frigate ARC ‘Antioquia’ and the ocean patrol boat ARC ‘Victoria'”to attend to emergencies due to the passage of hurricane ‘Julia'”.