A hurricane packing 130kph winds and heavy rain yesterday made landfall in Central America near Belize’s capital, where officials warned of likely flooding and damage to homes.
Hurricane Earl swept in from the Caribbean to strike just south of Belize City, population 60,000, at about midnight on Wednesday, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Along the way, it had gathered strength and dumped rain on northern Honduras as it brushed past at sea.
The hurricane’s heavy rains “could cause flash floods and mudslides, especially over higher terrain,” Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization said in a bulletin just before it arrived. “For coastal areas, there is also a risk for flooding, especially in low-lying areas.”
Guatemala, Honduras and southern Mexico also issued alerts. Airports in the area were closed.
Earl was expected to weaken as it continued west from Belize City farther inland toward northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico.
Mexican authorities evacuated 300 families living close to a river along the border with Belize in the southeastern state of Quinta Roo for fear of flooding.
More than 750 shelters were readied in the state in preparation for expected high winds and fierce gusts.
Other southern Mexican states likely to be affected were Campeche, Tabasco and Yucatan.
In the northern Guatemala town of Puerto Barrios, military commander Colonel Nelson Tun told reporters that “patrols in vulnerable areas” were being carried out.
“We have identified high areas to where the population can evacuate before possible flooding,” he said.
Guatemala in particular is prone to rainy season flooding and mudslides that often prove fatal.
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales on Wednesday offered Belize humanitarian aid and shelters along the border if needed.
That gesture was significant after months of tensions between the two nations following a shooting death of a Guatemalan boy by a Belizean border patrol in April.
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