Hurricane Iota, an “extremely dangerous” category, was heading to Central America in the western Caribbean early Monday, where it is expected to land in the same region hit by Hurricane Eta last week.
Forecasters said the catastrophic Category 5 hurricane could move forward by the time it reaches the rapidly strengthening Ayota land.
At 4 a.m. Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center advised that Iota had a maximum wind speed of 145 mph and was centered about 170 miles southeast of Cabo Gracias Dios on the Nicaragua-Honduras border, as it was 10 mph. Went west at speed.
The 30th hurricane of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season is expected to reach the Central American mainland late Monday night, according to the NHC in Iota, Miami.
As Iota becomes the 13th hurricane of the year, it predicts “potentially destructive winds, deadly hurricanes and heavy rainfall” for Central America.
In Honduras, where forced migration began earlier in the week, as of Sunday evening, about 63,500,000 people were reported to be in 9379 shelters in the northern region.
Meanwhile, Nicaraguan officials said about 1,500 people had been evacuated from low-lying areas in the north-east of the country by late Sunday afternoon, including everyone from Cayo Misquitos.
In Bilvi, on the coast, residents were working hard to protect the roofs of wooden houses torn by zinc sheets. Many people were wrapping their belongings in plastic bags so that they could avoid the expected flow.
“We are worried, we are nervous. Psychologically we are not doing a good job, because it is not easy to lose our things and start over. Some of us have small houses and we risk losing everything, “Sylvania Zamora told Agence France-Presse.
Iota predicted 16 inches of rain in northern Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and southern Belize, with 30 inches of isolated locations.
With post wire
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