The cyclone made landfall on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua early Sunday as a category 1 hurricane, but was downgraded to a tropical storm lashing with heavy rains and winds before exiting into the Pacific Ocean on Sunday night.
Affectations appear in Nicaragua
The Nicaraguan government declared a red alert after the damage caused by Julia as it passed through the territory, including overflowing rivers, damage to homes, roads, schools and communications, according to a statement issued by the Presidency.
Vice President Rosario Murillo explained that Julia left 7,500 people affected, 3,000 homes flooded, another 2,000 with roofs damaged by the winds, 78 rivers overflowed and walls collapsed.
According to the vice president, at the moment no deaths have been reported in Nicaragua, where classes in schools and universities have been suspended.
In Guatemala, which is on red alert, President Alejandro Giammattei announced that classes were suspended due to the cyclone and said that 1,855 shelters are available to shelter victims.
According to Civil Protection, in Guatemala there are 66,350 people affected in their circulation due to damage to roads or bridges.
In Honduras, where the authorities remain on alert, the Honduran Airport Infrastructure and Services Company (EHISA) announced that the Ramón Villeda Morales international airport in San Pedro Sula suspended operations “temporarily” until Monday.
In Costa Rica, the authorities announced the suspension of classes.
And in Panama, before the arrival of Julia, the authorities carried out evacuations in the province of Chiriquí, bordering Costa Rica, in the Pacific, after registering landslides and the collapse of some infrastructure.
Julia is the second hurricane of the 2022 season to affect Central America after Bonnie entered the Caribbean through the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica in July.
Climate change produces an increase in temperature in the surface layers of the oceans, which generates more powerful storms and hurricanes and with greater amounts of water, according to experts.
With information from AFP and Reuters