Weather Alert – U. S. Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala
Location: Guatemala, country wide.
Event: HURRICANE IOTA WEAKENS, BUT HEAVY RAINS FORECAST: Iota made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane Monday, but weakened overnight and is currently a category 2 hurricane. Iota is forecast to further weaken today into a tropical storm and cross into Guatemala early tomorrow, November 18, before dissipating tomorrow night.
Southeast and central Guatemala are forecast to receive 10 to 20 inches (250 to 500 mm) of rainfall, with isolated maximum totals of 30 inches (750 mm). Such heavy rainfall is likely to bring further flooding and landslides to areas already affected by Tropical Storm Eta.
A list of municipalities at risk from flooding is available here from CONRED (National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction).
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 applications that 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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