The tropical depression that moves through the Caribbean Sea of Nicaragua has become the tropical storm Bonnieas reported this Friday by the National Hurricane Center (CNH), and it is expected to make landfall tonight causing heavy rains and flash floods, including in the border area of Costa Rica.
Nicaragua decreed a green and yellow alert for the entire national territory due to the arrival of the storm, the government spokeswoman and vice president Rosario Murillo reported this afternoon.
“It is a necessary and important step, in addition to knowing that we have been preparing for days, ensuring that these different stages are completed in a timely manner,” Murillo said.
Hours before, the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (Sinapred) reported at a press conference that they have held meetings with local committees before the arrival of the storm.
Bonnie was early Friday about 400 kilometers east and southeast of Bluefields in the South Caribbean of Nicaragua, but her entry into the country would be through the Monkey Point area and the mouth of the San Juan River, reported the director of meteorology Marcio Baca in official media.
The natural phenomenon would pass through the southern part of Lake Granada and would reach the Pacific Ocean at a point near Tola, Rivas, the official projected.
Baca said that the rain will fall on saturated soils since throughout its path from when it enters until it exits through Rivas, the amount of rain “could easily and presumably be between 150, 200 and 250 millimeters.”
Evacuations advance
The Government has carried out evacuations in several vulnerable towns in the South Caribbean and other areas, such as Monkey Point; Indio Maíz, Rama Cay (made up of indigenous people); among others, which will be distributed in some 38 shelters.
Independent journalist Suyen Sánchez, originally from Bluefields, told the voice of america via telephone that the population of the South Caribbean already had information about the phenomenon for several days and many have prepared themselves by buying plastic, light bulbs, sacks, candles, medicines, among other things.
Liliana Pérez Medina, deputy director of the Colegio Madre Divino Pastor, told the local reporter that the study center where she works has been enabled to serve citizens who require it.
“We are waiting for residents, since yesterday we have decided to protect everything while waiting for people who want to come to our educational center,” he said. “We have a high school pavilion ready, we expect about 600 people.”
Costa Rica also on alert
The Costa Rican government, for its part, has also announced a series of prevention measures and has declared a red alert in 15 cantons of the country that border Nicaragua; while the southern Caribbean is on yellow alert and the rest of the country is on orange alert.
In the morning hours, the National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Attention of Costa Rica (CNE) reported at a press conference that they had evacuated more than 700 people who were sent preventively to some shelters.
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