Hurricane Julia brushes Colombia’s San Andrés island and heads for Nicaragua : NPR

A satellite tv for pc picture exhibits Tropical Storm Julia, backside proper, at 4 p.m. EDT. Julia is gaining energy heading westward within the southern Caribbean.

NOAA by way of AP

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NOAA by way of AP

A satellite tv for pc picture exhibits Tropical Storm Julia, backside proper, at 4 p.m. EDT. Julia is gaining energy heading westward within the southern Caribbean.

NOAA by way of AP

MEXICO CITY — Hurricane Julia swept by simply south of Colombia’s San Andrés island Saturday night quickly after strengthening from a tropical storm, as Nicaraguans rushed to arrange for the storm’s arrival in a single day on their Caribbean coast.

After gaining energy all through the day, Julia’s most sustained winds had elevated to 75 mph (120 kph) Saturday night, the U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Heart mentioned.

The storm was centered about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west-southwest of San Andrés and 125 miles (200 kilometers) east-northeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua. It was shifting west at 17 mph (28 kph).

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had declared a “most alert” on San Andrés in addition to Providencia islands to the north and requested accommodations to arrange house to shelter the weak inhabitants. Officers on San Andrés imposed a curfew for residents at 6 a.m. Saturday to restrict folks within the streets. Air operations to the islands had been suspended.

Related precautions had been underway within the central space of Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, the place authorities issued an alert for every type of vessels to hunt protected harbor. The hurricane was on a normal path to the realm of Bluefields and Pearl Metropolis.

Nicaraguan troopers deployed to assist evacuate inhabitants of islands and cays across the city of Sandy Bay Sirpi. The military mentioned it delivered humanitarian provides to Bluefields and Laguna de Perlas for distribution to 118 short-term shelters.

Forecasters mentioned a better menace than Julia’s winds had been rains of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) — as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) in remoted areas — that the storm was anticipated to dump throughout Central America.

“This rainfall could trigger life-threatening flash floods and mudslides by means of this weekend,” the U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Heart mentioned.

The storm’s remnants had been forecast to comb throughout Nicaragua after which skirt by the Pacific coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala, a area already saturated by weeks of heavy rains.

In Guatemala, officers mentioned Julia may drench 10 departments within the east, heart and west of the nation — an space that has been most affected by this wet season and the place the poorest persons are concentrated.

From Could to September, storms have brought on 49 confirmed deaths and 6 persons are lacking. Roads and tons of of properties have been broken, Guatemalan officers say.

In El Salvador, the place 19 folks have died this wet season, the worst rainfall is anticipated Monday and Tuesday, mentioned Fernando López, the minister of setting and pure assets. Officers mentioned they’d opened 61 shelters with the capability to accommodate greater than 3,000 folks.