Caribbean-On-Line » Caribbean Hurricanes » Tropical Storm Beta - Nicaragua OCHA Situation Report No. 2
October 28, 2005
Tropical Storm Beta - Nicaragua OCHA Situation Report No. 2
OCHA Situation Report No. 2
Tropical Storm Beta – Nicaragua
28 October 2005
This Situation Report is based on information compiled and received by the Resident Coordinator’s Office in Nicaragua.
Situation
1. Tropical storm Beta is presently located at 220 km from the city of Bluefields, capital of the South Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. According to the latest report by the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies (INETER – Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales), based on numerical models, there is a high probability that this storm could develop into a hurricane within the next hours, making landfall on Nicaraguan territory as a category 1. The impacts expected are strong rains, flooding, landslides and overflowing rivers.
2. The Nicaraguan Government’s Executive Secretariat of the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (SINAPRED – Sistema Nacional para la Prevención, Mitigación y Atención de Desastres), has declared “yellow alert” for the following areas of the country: the North and South Atlantic Autonomous Regions, the Central Region and the Northern Region.
National Response
3. SINAPRED has already activated the Center for Emergency Operations (COE) and is setting up three posts for assisting the population in Bilwi/Puerto Cabezas, Bluefields and on Corn Island and has activated the regional, departmental and municipal committees for disaster prevention, mitigation and response in order to carry out preparation and evacuation activities in the shortest possible time.
Need for International Assistance
4. To be able to respond to an eventual emergency, the national authorities have required support in the form of provisions for 41,866 families for 15 days: 98,000 pounds of cereals, 628,600 pounds of beans, 628,600 pounds of corn, 125,7200 pounds of rice, 44,500 pounds of sugar, 171,600 pounds of salt, 4,929 gallons of cooking oil, 324,900 pounds of milk and 21,264 blankets.
Response of the United Nations System
5. The United Nations System in Nicaragua has activated the UNETE (UN Emergency Team) and is working in coordination with the OCHA’s regional office and SINAPRED. On Thursday morning 27 October it also made contact with its two field offices, and it has been in contact through satellite with the United Nations Team attending the famine emergency in Waspam. As mentioned in OCHA’s Situation Report 1, an UNDAC Team has been requested and is being deployed to the country. The Head of OCHA’s Regional Office in Panama is also being deployed.
6. In order to facilitate the collection and storage of food, the WFP warehouses in Siuna, Bilwi/Puerto Cabezas and Waspam will be used.
7. For further information, please also refer to the Website of the National Hurricane Service in Miami at www.nhc.noaa.gov, and http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/Gif/atl.latest.gif.
8. This situation report, together with further information on other ongoing emergencies is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int/
Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officer:
Mr. Dusan Zupka
E-mail: zupka@un.org
direct Tel. +41-22-917 1645
Ms. Charlotta Benedek
E-mail: benedek@un.org
direct Tel. +41-22-917 1205
Press contact:
(GVA) Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 2653
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917-367 51 26
