– My wife is dead, my grandchildren are dead – VG

Rescue teams headed to the small mountain town of Queja in Guatemala this weekend, writes Reuters. Roads were buried in mud, trees had fallen, and rivers had changed course after the ravages of tropical storm “Etas.”

– The reality on the ground is terrible. This national tragedy is centered here in San Cristóbal Verapaz, in the Queja village, retired General Francisco Muz told the news agency.

Gloroa Cac, with whom Reuters speaks through a translator, says he lost 22 members of his family after heavy landslides in the town of around 1,200 people.

– All her family is gone, she is the only survivor. His father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles, grandparents, they all left. 22 relatives and only she remains, says the translator in a video to the news agency.

The AP news agency has spoken with Emilio Caal, 65, who says he believes he has lost up to 40 family members.

He himself is injured after being thrown several meters forward after being hit by rocks and trees. The landslide hit him when he was going to have lunch with the family, he says.

“My wife is dead, my grandchildren are dead,” he said after being evacuated to a nearby hospital.

Extensive damage

“Eta” hit Cuba in the early hours of Sunday, after colliding with Central America and Mexico, NTB writes. The storm hit the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday, but was degraded before continuing in Honduras and Guatemala.

Here’s how the storm has ravaged so far:

• Guatemala: 27 deaths have been confirmed and more than 100 disappeared, the majority after the landslide in San Cristóbal Verapaz. 60,000 people have been evacuated.
• Mexico: At least 20 people have been reported dead, the majority following a flood in the state of Chiapas.
• Nicaragua: Two people have been confirmed dead.
• Panama: 17 people have been confirmed dead.
• Costa Rica: Two people have been confirmed dead after a landslide.
• Honduras: 25 dead people and eight missing people have been reported. More than 1.7 million of the country’s 9.5 million residents are affected by the storm.
• The Savior: One person’s death has been confirmed.
• Cuba: 25,000 people have been evacuated.

Sources: AP, Reuters and NTB

On the way to florida

“Eta” is now on its way to Florida in the United States, where it is expected to make landfall between Sunday night and Monday morning local time.

According to the Associated Press, the storm could return to hurricane strength before making landfall, and Florida authorities have already closed corona beaches, ports and test centers and stopped public transportation.

Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in several of the southern counties of the state and evacuation centers have been opened in Miami, among other places.

– Heavy “Eta” rains will continue over parts of Cuba, the Bahamas and southern Florida, and will spread into northern Florida. Life-threatening flooding is possible in much of urban areas in southeastern Florida, writes the US National Hurricane Center on Twitter.