Guatemala Declares State Of Emergency Over Hurricane Julia - President

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th October, 2022) The impact of Hurricane Julia, ravaging Central America since the weekend, has prompted the Guatemalan government to declare a state of emergency, President Alejandro Giammattei said on Tuesday.

Tropical cyclone Julia made landfall in Nicaragua on Sunday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. Then it weakened to a tropical storm and is now moving along the coast of Guatemala into the waters of Mexico. Hurricane Julia brought not only heavy rains but also life-threatening flash floods and deadly mudslides.

"Today, the Council of Ministers made the decision to declare a state of emergency.

The corresponding order will be sent for approval to the Congress," Giammattei said on social media.

The hurricane brought Guatemala floods and landslides which inflicted damage on infrastructure such as bridges, highways and power lines. It killed five people and left another two missing in the central region of La Libertad.

Emergency services in Guatemala say that the hurricane has directly affected over 153,000 people, more than 1,300 were evacuated from their homes, of which over 1,000 are now housed in temporary shelters. Almost 500 residential buildings received medium and serious damage.