Flooding in Central America
Days of torrential rains have driven thousands from their homes across Central America. The resulting floods have killed several people and many more have had to evacuate their houses. From Guatemala to Panama, rescue crews scrambled to help people after a low pressure system poured incessant rain on the region for several days.
According to local authorities, up to ten thousand people have been evacuated in Nicaraguan’s west coast. The Chief of Civil Defence said that 600 mm (23.62 inches) of rain has fallen in four days. The raging water has destroyed homes, entire crops of bananas and corn and washed away cattle. The military have been sent to the worst affected areas to help with the displacement of thousands of people.
Heavy rain will continue in neighbouring El Salvador for the next few days. Dozens of people have been evacuated here too, and two people have died. Eastern areas have been hit hardest by the wet weather.
In Honduras, three children and their mother drowned at the weekend when an overloaded boat evacuating them, capsized in a flooded river. And in Costa Rica, emergency officials are cleaning up towns inundated by the recent floods and landslides. Forecasters warned the weather could worsen over the next few days.
