Storm Lisa, now a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 km/h, approached less than 100 km from the coast of Belize on Wednesday afternoon, putting northern Belize, Central America, on high alert.
Lisa is traveling at a speed of 24 km/h and should arrive in Belize overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
Honduras on red alert
The hurricane threatens northern Central America three weeks after Hurricane Julia devastated the region causing around 100 victims, half of them drowned in Honduras and the rest buried by landslides in Guatemala and El Salvador.
Honduras is on red alert for its islands in the path of the hurricane, and on yellow alert for four departments in the north of the country. The Honduran Civil Protection Services predict that Lisa should begin to weaken as it approaches the coast.
The mayor of Roatán Ronnie Mcnab (Bahia Islands, Honduras) declared a “state of emergency” and asked the managers of the islands’ luxury hotels to “inform their clients about the situation” and ask them to remain confined to their establishments during at least 36 hours. He also ordered the closure of businesses, with the exception of gas stations and pharmacies, as well as schools, which must be enabled to serve as shelters.
Concern in Belize and Guatemala
The entire coast of Belize is also on ‘red’ alert and schools have been closed across the country while shelters are set up.
“It’s very dangerous for us” because in Belize “it floods quickly, even with moderate rain,” said Jazmin Ayusola, a 21-year-old secretary.
Guatemala also expects heavy rains caused by Lisa in the north and center, Rodolfo García, spokesman for the Coordination for Disaster Reduction (Conred), told reporters.
Lisa, then downgraded to tropical storm status, should enter Guatemala on Thursday from the north of the country, before gradually losing strength again on its way to Mexico. El Salvador, which should be relatively safe, has nevertheless put more than twenty municipalities on alert where risks of flooding or landslides have been identified.
Source: BFM TV
