At least 30 people have lost their lives and thousands have been displaced from their homes as Central America experiences severe storms and heavy rainfall, local officials report. The continuous downpours have resulted in rivers flooding, homes being destroyed, landslides occurring, and entire communities being isolated.
In El Salvador, authorities confirmed 19 deaths, including six children, with over 3,000 individuals seeking refuge in temporary shelters. Luis Amaya, head of El Salvador’s civil protection agency, emphasized the priority of saving lives over material possessions.
Read more: Bangladesh Faces Severe Monsoon Floods, Homes Submerged In Water
Guatemala reported 10 fatalities and nearly 11,000 evacuations, with about 380 people still housed in temporary shelters and significant damage to 300 homes and four bridges. Meanwhile, in Honduras, one death was reported, with over 1,200 people evacuated, 180 communities cut off, and 22 houses destroyed.
In Mexico, extensive rainfall was forecasted across the country, particularly affecting the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, along with inland areas. The storms brought lightning, strong winds, potential hail, and river flooding. While the rains necessitated the evacuation of 80 individuals from a children’s hospital in Oaxaca state, they also provided relief to drought-stricken reservoirs.
The National Hurricane Center attributed the weather conditions to interacting low-pressure systems and a monsoon trough drawing moist air from the North Pacific, reinforced by remnants of Hurricane Alberto. Alberto had caused four deaths in northeast Mexico earlier in the week.
The forecast predicted continued heavy rainfall across southern Mexico and northern Central America, extending southward to Costa Rica and Panama through the weekend, with thunderstorms and showers expected.
