The inhabitants of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua faced the force of hurricanes Eta and Iota at the end of 2020. Many families lost everything and are still recovering from the impact of the natural phenomena that hit the area with heavy rains. Caribbean people are now preparing to mitigate the damage that could be caused by a category 1 tropical storm or hurricane that would make landfall in the coming days.
A resident of the area, who preferred to omit her name, told Article 66 that the people of the Bluff, those who live closer to the coast, are moving to the center of the port. The same is being done in the Ramaki and Karawala communities.
The resident stated that the community members who were affected in 2020 have tried to recover. According to reports from the Red Cross of Bluefields, some 160 houses suffered flooding due to the rains that were recorded in the first 15 days of June and the critical points exceed 10, according to statements by Cruz Roja Julio Martínez to Radio La Costeñísima.
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“People are desperate. Even my family and some older (adults) have had respiratory and nerve problems. Not much time has passed since the losses (from hurricanes Iota and Eta). Some, hearing the news, have suffocated and have presented pressure problems,” a Bilwi resident told Article 66 on condition of anonymity.
The resident of Bluefields stated that the Central District has presented floods with 15 minutes of rain and the damage has occurred since the beginning of June. «Now imagine with a storm or a hurricane that there are hours of rain. At the beginning of June there were four or five hours of rain and the neighborhoods of Fátima, San Pedro, Pancasán, 19 de Julio, San Mateo and Loma Fresca were flooded », she detailed.
“Regarding the preparation to mitigate the impacts of the rains, some are doing it and others are waiting to see if it is a hurricane, the sources revealed. “What people do is tie up their houses, store their papers and important things in plastic bags. Also see where they are going to shelter because the shelters do not have space for all the people », he said.
“Sometimes they mostly stay at home, go to a neighbor or relative, but all of Bilwi is under a lot of pressure due to the whole situation. After the two experiences (of the hurricanes) people don’t trust it », he warned.
He indicated that the Government is making preparations for shelters and shelters, but the problem is that, despite heavy rains and floods, some residents did not leave their homes. “They waited for the rain to stop to get the water out of their houses,” he lamented.
The population that lives in the neighborhoods where it historically floods this season continue to inhabit the area and build in areas not suitable for habitation. The Mayor’s Office of Bluefields, on June 15, identified some seven critical points after the downpours.
«At this time the people of those neighborhoods must be sad because they have already been warned that a natural phenomenon is coming that is going to flood their home. Not even a month has passed since the last tropical wave where they lost everything and now another event. They haven’t recovered anything they lost,” said the Bluefields resident.
The spokeswoman for the Nicaraguan regime, Rosario Murillo, reiterated this Tuesday that they remain on “alert” in the face of a cyclonic event, which is currently expected to enter the national territory. The spokeswoman assured that her administration is working on mitigation and evacuation plans before the arrival of this natural phenomenon on the Caribbean coast of the country.
Murillo reported that the specific area where the natural phenomenon will impact has not yet been defined, which is expected to hit Nicaraguan soil as a category one or two hurricane. 345 shelters have already been set up to protect the population that would be affected by the intense rains.
