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Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama threatened by Hurricane Otto

Source: Xinhua   2016-11-24 11:18:05

MANAGUA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Otto, which is set to make landfall on Thursday.

Panama, which has already seen four people killed and five more missing from the early effects of Otto, deployed its rescue workers as rain brought a number of houses down, trapping people inside.

The authorities of Nicaragua's national disaster prevention system, SINAPRED, decreed a red alert across the country on Wednesday, with Otto expected to hit the towns of Pearl Lagoon and Kukra Hill in South Carribean Coast Autonomous Region early Thursday.

Secretary-General of the municipal government of Managua Fidel Moreno also said in a statement that all the country's municipalities were revising their disaster response plans and evaluating their most vulnerable areas.

Refuges have also been opened to hold around 7,000 people in dangerous areas, with the government announcing that those living in fragile housing or very close to the ocean would be prioritized.

In Costa Rica, officials expect Otto to lash near its border with Nicaragua. On Tuesday evening, President Luis Guillermo Solis gave a press conference, calling the hurricane "highly dangerous."

He added that he had ordered the evacuation of around 4,000 people along Costa Rica's northern and Caribbean regions.

While Otto is currently a Category One hurricane, it is expected to strengthen on Wednesday night and may be upgraded to a Category Two, with winds as strong as 120 kilometers per hour.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center called Otto the seventh hurricane of the season but it is presenting some unusual characteristics.

The countries of Central America have not been hit by hurricanes in such southern areas, which meant they have less preparation and resource than other more hurricane-prone countries.

On Tuesday, representatives from Costa Rica and Nicaragua met to determine the possible impact of the hurricane, rescue operations and the guaranteed passage of people and goods across their border.

On Wednesday, Panama seemed to be moving on, lowering its alert to yellow as Otto moved north. Classes were canceled but will be restored on Thursday, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez announced.

It was also confirmed that the four deaths in Panama included a couple killed in a slide in Arraijan, a young woman drowned in the river Utive, and an eight-year-old boy killed by a fallen tree in the region of Ancon.

Editor: liuxin
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Xinhuanet

Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama threatened by Hurricane Otto

Source: Xinhua 2016-11-24 11:18:05
[Editor: huaxia]

MANAGUA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama are bracing for the impact of Hurricane Otto, which is set to make landfall on Thursday.

Panama, which has already seen four people killed and five more missing from the early effects of Otto, deployed its rescue workers as rain brought a number of houses down, trapping people inside.

The authorities of Nicaragua's national disaster prevention system, SINAPRED, decreed a red alert across the country on Wednesday, with Otto expected to hit the towns of Pearl Lagoon and Kukra Hill in South Carribean Coast Autonomous Region early Thursday.

Secretary-General of the municipal government of Managua Fidel Moreno also said in a statement that all the country's municipalities were revising their disaster response plans and evaluating their most vulnerable areas.

Refuges have also been opened to hold around 7,000 people in dangerous areas, with the government announcing that those living in fragile housing or very close to the ocean would be prioritized.

In Costa Rica, officials expect Otto to lash near its border with Nicaragua. On Tuesday evening, President Luis Guillermo Solis gave a press conference, calling the hurricane "highly dangerous."

He added that he had ordered the evacuation of around 4,000 people along Costa Rica's northern and Caribbean regions.

While Otto is currently a Category One hurricane, it is expected to strengthen on Wednesday night and may be upgraded to a Category Two, with winds as strong as 120 kilometers per hour.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center called Otto the seventh hurricane of the season but it is presenting some unusual characteristics.

The countries of Central America have not been hit by hurricanes in such southern areas, which meant they have less preparation and resource than other more hurricane-prone countries.

On Tuesday, representatives from Costa Rica and Nicaragua met to determine the possible impact of the hurricane, rescue operations and the guaranteed passage of people and goods across their border.

On Wednesday, Panama seemed to be moving on, lowering its alert to yellow as Otto moved north. Classes were canceled but will be restored on Thursday, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez announced.

It was also confirmed that the four deaths in Panama included a couple killed in a slide in Arraijan, a young woman drowned in the river Utive, and an eight-year-old boy killed by a fallen tree in the region of Ancon.

[Editor: huaxia]
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