Record breaking rainfall causes floods and landslides, Nicaragua
Image credit: SINAPRED (October 9, 2014)
A slow moving low pressure system dumped record amounts of heavy rainfall on north and south-western Nicaragua on October 9, 2014. Floods and landslides were reported in the departments of Rivas, Granada, Chinandega and Rio San Juan.
Marcio Baca, Director General of Meteorology INET, said the low pressure system has been moving from the Caribbean to the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, spanning virtually the entire territory.
The accumulated rainfall was quite significant. Above 60 mm was measured in Masatepe, Masaya and Granada on October 9. In the particular case of the municipality of Nandaime, Rivas Tola, the accumulated rainfall exceeded 100 mm. Record breaking 300 mm was measured in Altagracia, according to SINAPRED.
5 mudslides were reported in the Concepción Volcano and 1 in the department of Rio San Juan.
According to FloodList, as many as 6 000 people have been affected. More than 500 people had to be evacuated and are now being houses in temporary accommodation.
Alexander Cardoza, Departmental Political Secretary, said a total of 787 homes was affected, 29 of them collapsed.
Authorities said a young girl, 5 years old, was washed away in the Santa Teresa community of Ometepe Island.
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules.