Slow-moving Tropical Depression Sara has headed on to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after unleashing widespread floods over Honduras and Belize that killed at least one person and forced thousands to flee.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast that Sara will weaken as it moves further inland over Mexico’s Quintana Roo state, but warned rainfall over the area could trigger floods and mudslides.
The Miami-based forecaster estimates Sara’s maximum sustained winds at 56km/h, while its northwesterly movement had picked up to 19km/h.
The centre of the storm is currently located some 255km southeast of the city of Campeche, Mexico, according to the latest NHC report.
“Don’t take anything for granted! Secure loose objects and everything that could become a projectile,” Mexico’s national emergency services advised in a post on social media platform X.
Honduran risk management officials said more than 110,000 people had been impacted by the storm, with about 8000 evacuated from homes and some 5000 relocated to shelters.
It listed 1700 local communities that had been cut off from communications as more rain continued to fall on Sunday over much of the country, especially in the eastern and southern areas.
Over the weekend, Sara churned to the northwest where it made landfall on neighbouring Belize, home to ancient ruins, beach resorts and coral reefs popular with tourists.
Belize chief meteorologist Ronald Gordon noted some 30cm of rain had hit the central coastal town of Dangriga, south of Belize City, while stressing the risk of localised flooding.
The Belizean government urged locals to hold religious services remotely, while announcing that all schools would be suspended on Monday as a precaution.
https://thewest.com.au/news/natural-disasters/sara-moves-on-to-mexico-after-floods-in-honduras-c-16789657
