MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Tropical storm Earl moved along Mexico’s Gulf coast on Friday, dumping large amounts of rain in southern states after battering Belize, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane center, in its 7 a.m. CDT (1100 GMT) update, said Earl was about 175 miles (282 kilometers) east southeast of Veracruz, with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (64 km per hour).
The storm will produce 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) of rain in parts of the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tabasco and Veracruz, the hurricane center said. It said the rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
Earl, which briefly reached hurricane status on Wednesday but was downgraded on Thursday, was expected to start weakening on Saturday as it moves into mainland Mexico.
Before crossing Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, Earl battered Belize earlier this week, smashing car windows and punching holes in the roofs of Belize City’s wooden houses. It also downed trees and flooded parts of the coast.
State-owned oil company Pemex said late on Thursday it was monitoring Earl but that so far it had not needed to evacuate its offshore platforms.
(Reporting by Christine Murray; Editing by Bill Trott)
By Henry Romero and Manuel Carrillo
BELIZE CITY (Reuters) – Tropical storm Earl whipped Belize with wind and heavy rain as it weakened, moving into Guatemala toward southeastern Mexico on Thursday after hundreds of people took shelter overnight.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said at 1200 GMT that Earl had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour) as it churned about 90 miles (145 km) west of Belize City. Earl had been a hurricane overnight.
Late Wednesday, over 1,000 people were in shelters in Belize City, according to Philip Willoughby, who is in charge of the city’s emergency management. Dozens of people were also evacuated in Honduras on Wednesday, the government said.
As it moves west, Earl is expected to weaken to a tropical depression later Thursday or by Friday morning, the NHC said.
Mexican national oil company Pemex said Wednesday night it was monitoring Earl but had not evacuated workers at oil platforms that are concentrated in the southern Gulf of Mexico.
Earl, the fifth named storm of the 2016 season, was expected to bring 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) of rain in parts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula through Friday morning, the Miami-based NHC said in a statement.
(Additional reporting by Swati Verma in Bengaluru; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Belize, a nation located on the Caribbean Sea bordering Mexico and Guatemala, won a 60 day reprieve after making a bond payment, holding a full national default on debt at bay.
The nation paid $11.7 million to their creditors which fell short of the total $23 million due on debt interest that was due on Wednesday. The bondholders accepted the partial payment and said that they would delay taking legal action. Continue reading →