U.S. forecasters says Hurricane Iota has strengthened to a “catastrophic” Category 5 storm — the latest in the year such a storm has formed — and is likely to bring catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surges and torrential rainfall to Central America, still trying to recover from Hurricane Eta.
In its latest report, the National Hurricane Center says Iota is about 160 kilometers east-southeast of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, with maximum sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour, making it the strongest storm of the 2020 season. It is moving to the west at about 15 kilometers per hour.
Forecasters say on its current track, the core of Iota will make landfall within the hurricane warning area in northeastern Nicaragua Monday night, in almost the exact location Hurricane Eta came ashore two weeks ago.
That storm killed at least 50 people, destroyed buildings, knocked out power, and led to flooding and landslides.
Iota is the record-breaking 30th named storm of the 2020 season and, along with Eta, marks the first time two major hurricanes have formed in the month of November.
It is also the tenth named storm to “rapidly” intensify — that is, strengthen by more than 55.5 kph in a 24-hour period. Meteorologists attribute the effect to warm waters in the southern Caribbean.
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Hurricane Iota has destroyed all the infrastructure on the Caribbean island of Providencia and led to the death of one person, Colombian President Ivan Duque has announced.
ReplyDelete"Attention to San Andres and Providencia, the passing of #Iota is a challenge that we will overcome with all the institutional response capacity. I will be traveling to the area, as soon as conditions allow, to personally assess the damage and activate immediate aid to the victims," Duque said on Monday, as broadcast on his official Twitter page.
According to the president, a ship with humanitarian aid is being prepared for departure to Providencia, where 98% of all infrastructure has been destroyed.
Duque said that at the current moment, one hurricane-related death has been confirmed.
Governor of Colombia’s San Andres and Providencia department Everth Hawkins Sjogreen said that the archipelago was left completely without power.
The small Colombian island of Providencia has been hit hard by the powerful Category-5 hurricane Iota on Monday which has caused severe damage to the majority of local’s homes and the already scant public infrastructure.
DeleteColombia’s President, Ivan Duque, said it is the first Category 5 – the most serious of hurricanes – to hit the Andean nation in its history.
President Duque managed to speak to the mayor of the predominantly Afro-Colombian island on Monday evening via satellite phone, who confirmed one person had died so far and efforts were being made to clear the island’s one aeroplane runway to allow humanitarian aid to arrive.
DeleteIn a news conference Tuesday morning, President Duque said his administration has had communication difficulties with the island due to its damaged communications infrastructure.
“When we talk about a category five hurricane we are talking about one like Katrina or Andrew, which was devastating in the United States. We have to prepare for a total destruction of infrastructure and, therefore, start a reconstruction plan,” he said, adding that a “transformation plan” will be put into action to repair damage on the island within 100 days.
Iota, un ouragan devenu tempête tropicale, s'affaiblissait mercredi au Salvador après avoir fait au moins 14 morts et d'énormes dégâts en Amérique centrale, déjà dévastée il y a deux semaines par un précédent ouragan, Eta.
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