Nicaragua and Costa Rica apply preventive evacuations and Panama has activated its relief teams in the face of the effects of potential tropical cyclone Two, which is already in the southwestern Caribbean Sea and is expected to strengthen on its way to Central America until it became Tropical Storm Bonnie.
The Nicaraguan authorities reported this Thursday that they evacuated families and fishermen from the Pearl Cays, and that they do not rule out doing the same on the island of Rama Cay and the El Bluff bar, all located on its Caribbean coast.
At least six keys, of more than 30 existing in Cayos Perlas, were evacuated this Thursday, reported the political secretary in the area of the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Jhonny Hodgson, through official media.
Two were located this afternoon less than 1,000 kilometers east of Nicaragua, a country that should be hit by the phenomenon that became a tropical cyclone on Friday afternoon, according to estimates by the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (Ineter).
The director of Meteorology of the Ineter, Marcio Baca, affirmed that the phenomenon “is still a tropical depression.” However, the National Hurricane Center (NHC, for its acronym in English) of the United States, classified it as a “disturbance” in a report issued in the early hours of the afternoon of this Thursday.
Areas with the greatest impact
The agrometeorologist of the Humboldt Center, Agustín Moreira, explained to CONFIDENTIAL that the most affected areas will be Bluefields, Nueva Guinea and Karawala, in the South Caribbean; Puerto Morrito, San Carlos and San Juan de Nicaragua, in Río San Juan; Sapoá and Ometepe Island, in Rivas; and some areas of Boaco and Carazo.
“The rest of the territory does not mean that we are not going to have rains, but it may be happening, including in Managua,” stressed the expert, who added that “we do not have much risk in relation to crops, nor to livestock or beekeeping. ”.
According to the NHC report, the maximum winds will strengthen between now and Friday, while the system approaches Central America. Weakening is expected as the system crosses the isthmus, but strengthening is expected on Saturday once it moves over the Pacific Ocean.
Nicaragua has more than 300 temporary shelter centers ready and they have indefinitely suspended sailing in the 11 most important ports in both the Caribbean and Pacific, according to official information.
At the end of 2020, the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua was hit by hurricanes Eta and Iota, in categories 4 and 5, respectively on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with just 13 days of difference, which resulted in destruction and death.
Orange alert
In neighboring Costa Rica, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) has preventively evacuated 930 people who live near the San Juan River, on the border with Nicaragua, while some 2,800 police officers have been deployed in risk areas to Collaborate with emergency care.
In almost the entire Costa Rican territory, an orange alert was established before Bonnie’s arrival this Friday, the day classes have been suspended as a preventive measure against the rains that are expected to last until Saturday.
The CNE activated the work of local emergency committees, the transfer of personnel and supplies to the areas that are expected to be the most affected, as well as the review of 200 places that could function as shelters in an emergency.
The last time Costa Rica suffered a direct hit from a hurricane was in 2016 when Otto entered the Caribbean coast, crossed the country and exited the Pacific.
Notice in Panama
In Panama, the National Civil Protection System (Sinaproc) activated its operational teams in the provinces of the Caribbean coast, including those bordering Costa Rica, due to the increased instability of the weather as a result of the collateral effects of the passage of the cyclone. tropical two.
Likewise, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) issued a preventive notice – in force until next Saturday – to small vessels and pleasure yachts to increase their precautionary measures on the coast or offshore of the Caribbean coast.
The rains associated with hurricanes Eta and Iota, which devastated part of Central America in November 2020, caused twenty deaths and millionaire damage to agriculture in Panama.
red cross activated
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and its network of national teams monitor the intensity and trajectory of the possible storm and the damage it leaves in its wake, such as minor and victims in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
In a statement, the IFRC noted that in Central America, Red Cross teams are reviewing their contingency plans and preparing communities.
“In Panama, the IFRC Humanitarian Hub is fully stocked, with essential items and goods to support up to 60,000 people in the first hours after a possible disaster,” the institution added.
The Regional Logistics Center for Humanitarian Assistance (Clrah), also known as the “Humanitarian Hub of the Americas”, is one of five in the world and has been operating since November 2018.
It has a storage capacity of 12,000 square meters, and its founding users are the Panamanian Sinaproc and the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (Unhrd), operated by the World Food Program (WFP) and the IFRC.
