Central America on alert as Tropical Storm Cristina approaches

TLE DESK: Governments across Central America were on high alert Tuesday as Tropical Storm Cristina moved toward the region, bringing threats of heavy rain, flooding, landslides and coastal storm surges.

Authorities in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras activated emergency measures as the storm neared the Pacific coast.

In El Salvador, the education ministry suspended classes at schools and universities on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the risk of landslides and flooding. Officials also ordered fishermen in the coastal city of La Libertad, about 35 kilometres south of San Salvador, to remain in port as strong waves battered the shoreline.

Many beachfront businesses and the local seafood market closed ahead of the storm’s arrival.

Civil Protection Director Luis Alonso Amaya said 180 shelters had been prepared across El Salvador for residents who may need evacuation during the expected period of heavy rainfall.

In neighbouring Guatemala, authorities warned that the heaviest rain was likely to affect coastal areas, the central highlands and eastern valleys.

Nicaragua’s co-president Rosario Murillo urged residents to avoid coastal zones, saying heavy rains that began over the weekend had intensified since Sunday.

In Honduras, emergency management agencies issued weather alerts for nine regions considered vulnerable to flooding and landslides.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said early Tuesday that Cristina was approaching the Central American coast with maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph). The storm was moving northward at about six kph.

The NHC forecast rainfall totals of 10 to 20 centimetres across parts of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala through Thursday morning, with isolated areas receiving up to 30 centimetres.

“This rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” the NHC said in a bulletin, adding that storm surge could also cause coastal flooding in areas exposed to onshore winds.

Central America is one of the world’s most hurricane-prone regions and frequently faces deadly flooding and landslides during the tropical storm season.