Alert – U. S. Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala
Location: Guatemala, country wide.
Event: IOTA BRINGS HEAVY RAINS, FLOODING, ROAD CLOSURES: Tropical depression Iota will continue to bring heavy rains across portions of Guatemala today. Life-threatening flash floods along with river flooding and mudslides are expected through Thursday, and could be exacerbated due to already-saturated soil.
Guatemala is forecast to receive 8-10 inches of rainfall across east-central areas, with isolated maximums of 10-12 inches over eastern areas along the border with Honduras/Belize, 3-5 inches across central Guatemala, and 1-3 inches over north and southern portions. Flash flood risk is moderate to high across central and northern portions of Guatemala.
A list of municipalities at risk from flooding is available here from CONRED (National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction).
Reported flooding, bridge and road closures:
- Rio Mariscos has flooded the barrio Luna, Los Amates, Izabal.
- Rio Matagua is exceeding alert level in Morales, Izabal and Gualán, Zacapa, and is expected to continue rising
- Rio Camotán is exceeding alert level in Jocotán, Chiquimula, and is expected to continue rising
- Río Grande has flooded route CA-10, from Km 148 to 162, El Ingeniero, Zacapa.
- Bridge accessing Aldea Playitas in Morales, Izabal has collapsed
- Bridge at Teculután on CA-9 north is closed due to the high river level
- Landslide reported between Tamahu, Alta Verapaz and San Julian
- RN-13 – Km 249, La Conquista, Nuevo Progreso is closed
- RN-7W from San Cristóbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz to Chicamán, Quiché is closed
Actions to Take:
CONRED advises citizens to;
- Review the list of municipalities at risk of flooding here
- Follow instructions issued by local authorities
- Review household evacuation plans
- Ensure that a 72-hour emergency bag is ready for each household member.
The U.S. Embassy further recommends that U.S. citizens;
- Avoid traveling while heavy rains occur as roads can quickly become extremely unsafe.
- Navigation devices and applicationsthat provide directions and traffic and route suggestions should be used with caution as certain detours or alternate routes from main roads and highways can lead to unsafe areas or roads affected by flooding or landslides.
- Visit CONRED(Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres) and INSIVUMEH (Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología) websites for updated weather and hazard information.
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Guatemala City https://gt.usembassy.gov
Tel. (502) 2326-4000
Amcitsguatemala@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
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