One Missing, One Injured and 2,007 Affected by Storm Sara in Nicaragua

Staff of the Cruz Blanca humanitarian and emergency care institution and officers of the Nicaraguan army. Photo: X/ @jpmas_ca

November 17, 2024 Hour: 1:32 pm

At least one person is missing, one injured, 2,007 people affected, and 816 homes flooded due to Tropical Storm Sara in Nicaragua, which has been under a yellow alert or watch since Friday, authorities reported on Saturday.

Guillermo González, Minister Director of the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Care (SINAPRED), at a press conference in Managua said “so far we have no deceased. We do, unfortunately, have a missing comrade in the municipality of Cuapa, department (provina) of Chontales (center). It crossed a bridge and fell into the currents, and is looking for one.”

The official said that there have been incidents in 15 municipalities in 7 departments of Nicaragua: Carazo, Chontales, Granada, León, Masaya, Rivas and Río San Juan, all located in the Pacific or central part of the country.

Latest death toll due to Tropical Storm #Sara.
As of 14:00 UTC, November 17.

2 deaths and 1 missing in #DominicanRepublic, and 1 death in #Honduras. Authorities in #Nicaragua confirmed that 1 individual in Chontales Department is missing due to Sara.#tropics #wxtwitter pic.twitter.com/FfGNivznVG
— Trocyde (TCF) (@tcf_wx) November 17, 2024

There was also a report of an injured person in the municipality of El Realejo, in the province of Chinandega (northwest), when a branch fell on the bus they were traveling in, the official said as a uthorities record 636 families, which corresponds to 2,007 affected people who have been evacuated, 816 flooded houses, 2 homes with partial damage, 3 with total damage, and 6 flooded schools.

The director of meteorology at the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (Ineter), Marcio Baca, mentioned that due to the trajectory and speed of Sara, “the rains will continue throughout the entire Pacific region” in the coming hours.

He added that it is expected that by midnight on Saturday or early Sunday morning, the storm will move more quickly towards Belize.

The day before, the Nicaraguan government declared a yellow alert or watch across the entire national territory due to the presence of Tropical Storm Sara, which was located southwest of Guanaja Island in Honduras.