Tropical Storm Agatha slammed the Pacific coast of Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico late Saturday, killing 12 and injuring an unknown amount. The heavy rains, estimated to bring from 10-20 inches and up to 30 inches in some parts of Gautemata, lashed the coasts and inland areas. Mudslides and boulders killed four children and four adults.
Lava flow from the Pacaya volcano moving 100 M/hr. & is 90 M wide on the opposite side of volcano from us, but damage to some farms there. Three houses were burning last I heard and one of my friends just lost half of his house to the hurricane." Silvia T, organic coffee farm owner. Her computer just quit and she's seeking shelter in the city as of this moment.
.
More than 850 people have been evacuated from their homes because of flooding affecting much of central and southern Guatemala.
The storm is expected to lose force as it comes ashore overnight.
"The storm will start to weaken and we hope that on Sunday it will be just a tropical depression," said Romero Garcia of Guatemala's Meteorological Institute. "That is not to say that there won't be heavy rains."
The Pacaya volcano, south of the capital, began erupting and spewing lava and rocks Thursday afternoon, forcing the closure of the City's international airport. A TV reporter lost his life when he was killed by a shower of burning rocks. Two others are reported dead.
Airport official Felipe Castaneda told reporters Saturday that the airport would be closed for the next five days while ash is removed.
"The work to remove the ash was going forward, but the rain has complicated it," Castaneda said.
In El Salvador, authorities began evacuating hundreds of families in areas at risk for landslides and flooding, suspending fishing and tourism along the Pacific coast.Puerto Libertad is devastated.
IR image : NASA
