The center of Hurricane Julia, category 1 and with winds of up to 140 km / h, has made landfall on the Nicaraguan Caribbean coast, near the Laguna de las Perlas, reported the United States National Hurricane Center.
“Satellite and radar data from Nicaragua indicate that the center of Julia made landfall along the coast near Laguna de Perlas, Nicaragua, at 0715 GMT, with sustained winds at landfall of 85 mph (140 km). /h). The frontal bands of Julia began to be felt in the Nicaraguan mainland at 7:00 p.m. local time (01:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday), ”according to the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies (Ineter).
Related news: Julia becomes a hurricane
Hours earlier, thousands of residents were evacuated to temporary refuge centers, especially those who live on high-risk keys and islands in the Caribbean Sea, as well as on the coast.
According to the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (Sinapred), between 6,000 and 7,000 people were evacuated from the Pearl Cays and islands of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Nicaragua.
There were also evacuations in the high-risk areas of Laguna de Perlas, with 18,314 inhabitants, where the hurricane made landfall.
Once it has made landfall, the trajectory is expected to move through Nicaragua, then reach the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala throughout Monday.
The Nicaraguan Naval Force has suspended sailings to the Caribbean Sea since last Friday, and has directed vessels that are sailing to seek a safe harbor.
The Nicaraguan authorities had 345 temporary shelter centers to provide shelter to 68,896 people, who live in 166,047 homes located in 205 critical points, of which 174 are susceptible to floods and 31 to landslides, according to official information. .
