The first rain caused by tropical wave number one left at least 25 houses flooded, overflowing riverbeds and a series of floods, mainly in the eastern part of the capital, says the preliminary report from the Managua Mayor’s Office.
“It rained the first time, for about 40 minutes, very strong, the measurement systems reported in this area (the eastern one), very close to the riverbed (El Dorado), about 90 millimeters of water, it really is a lot of water. ; the average of the city was around 50 millimeters”, the secretary of the Mayor’s Office, Fidel Moreno, told official media.
The overflow of the El Dorado riverbed caused flooding mainly in the neighborhoods: Pedro Arauz Palacios, San Luis, El Edén, María Auxiliadora, Ducualí, said Moreno, who admitted that this is a recurring problem that the Managua Mayor’s Office has not been able to resolve.
“The channel overflows two to three times a year with heavy rains and in short periods of time, but it is an issue that we hope to resolve with the expansion of the Pista Juan Pablo II” that contemplates the construction of a channel of three times more capacity, said Moreno, who appears every winter handing out blankets and mattresses to those affected.
Solidarity Hospital flooded
In addition to the overflow of this riverbed, flooding was reported in the Oriental market, the Solidarity Hospital and in the central offices of Immigration and Immigration, located in District IV of Managua. In these areas, the number of millimeters of water that fell was between 40 and 50. Meanwhile, in Districts VI and VII, the number of millimeters was 30.
The rain that started around 3:40 in the afternoon was accompanied by electric shocks. A user of social networks captured the moment in which lightning struck near a public transport bus, while it was filming the overflow of the El Dorado riverbed. The electrical discharge hit a branch that consequently fell on the 109 bus.
Motorcycles that were on public roads and were dragged by the current were also observed; citizens who with buckets removed the water and flooded main streets from their homes in the area of Sabana Grande, the Kola Shaler, Bello Horizonte, among other places.
In León, the death of two women, aged 32 and 18, was known, who allegedly drowned when they were dragged by the currents caused by the winds of this first tropical wave.
“Everything went so fast. They ignored the warnings and jumped into the water. We only managed to rescue those two people. The women didn’t have time because the sea was aggressive and dragged them quickly,” a Red Cross member told 100% Noticias.
More rain expected over the weekend
The formation of this tropical wave was announced at the beginning of this week and according to the authorities it is expected that it will continue to rain sporadically in the next 48 hours.
“This type of rain does not produce major floods, unless we get a downpour like the one we had, but this type of rain saturates the soil, causes trees to fall, a lot of sediment on the road, causes unstable old walls to have affectations”, Moreno said.
Currently in the capital there are 57 critical points prone to disasters and floods every winter. These, as experts on the subject have historically explained, are caused by urban disorder, garbage and obsolete storm drainage that was built in the last century and the increasing construction of residential areas in unsuitable areas.
