San Salvador.- More than 200 people in shelters, damage to public schools and homes, urban flooding, and landslides have been left in El Salvador as of this Thursday by the influence of tropical storm Cristina, now downgraded to a tropical depression, government officials reported, with no casualties reported.
The director of Civil Protection, Luis Amaya, pointed out in a press conference that 11 shelters are active in different parts of El Salvador, to which 225 people (106 adults and 119 minors) have been relocated.
Amaya pointed out that the sheltered families have everything necessary to safeguard their lives and asked citizens not to oppose evacuation if they live in an area considered vulnerable.
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The rains recorded in the country have caused the fall of 126 trees, 23 landslides in different areas, 88 obstructed roads, river overflows, urban flooding, and 126 flooded homes are reported, indicated the Minister of Public Works, Romeo Rodríguez.
Orange alert in the area
In the same press conference, the head of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Fernando López, confirmed that Cristina has been downgraded to a tropical depression and pointed out that “although we may have periods of relative calm, we will still continue, at least through this afternoon and evening (Thursday), with storm-like rain”.
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López noted that there are threats of flooding and landslides, so he recommended special vigilance in areas where rains have persisted in recent days.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Karla Trigueros, reported that flooding is being recorded in 41 public schools.
Storm Cristina, which formed last Monday, weakened into a tropical depression last Wednesday off the coast of the Central American Pacific.
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Civil Protection declared an orange alert (preparation) nationwide on Monday as a preventive measure, and the Ministry of Education suspended classes in public schools, private colleges, and universities on Tuesday to safeguard the lives of students. It is expected that classes will resume on Friday or the suspension will be extended, depending on the country’s weather conditions.
During storms, people living mainly in rural areas of El Salvador face various dangers due to the vulnerability of the locations where their homes are situated, mostly built with mud, metal sheets, and plastic.
One of the main threats is landslides and flooding due to river overflow.
Historically, during the rainy season, El Salvador has been affected by meteorological phenomena that cause fatalities. Among the strongest are Hurricane Mitch (1998), which left about 240 dead, and the rains of November 2009, which caused nearly 200 deaths.
