The tropical storm Sara weakened as it passed through Belize and will reach Guatemala and southern Mexico as a tropical depression after causing flooding in Honduras, resulting in one death and more than 70,000 people affected.The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) highlighted in its latest report that “Sara weakened to a tropical depression” as it crosses Belize at 13 km/h with sustained winds of 55 km/h.
Despite the weakening, the NHC urged the governments of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico to remain alert because the rains could still cause “catastrophic and potentially deadly flooding. “So far, no casualties have been reported in Belize, but authorities warned in their latest report that rivers have started to rise, and “severe rains” have caused flooding in certain areas of the country.
Floods and landslides have forced road closures, two bridges have been shut down due to rising river levels, and the Philip Goldson International Airport near Belize City is closed until Monday. In Guatemala, Sara is expected to arrive in the northern part of the country, directly affecting the provinces of Petén, Izabal, and Alta Verapaz. Rains associated with the tropical storm have already affected 11,102 people, damaged several dozen homes, four bridges, and eight roads.
In Honduras, the assessment of damages caused by floods and rain is beginning, although a red alert remains in place for six northern departments, and the alert has been extended to two more in the south. One person has died, 71,337 people have been affected, and 251 communities have been isolated in the northern departments of the country due to damage to roads and bridges that provide access.
Nearly a thousand homes have been damaged by floods and rising river levels. Six departments remain under a red alert. Elsewhere in Central America, Panama reported 11 deaths, Costa Rica four, and Nicaragua one missing person during the past two weeks before Sara was classified as a tropical storm.
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