Hurricane Otto forces evacuation from Nicaragua and Costa Rica - three deaths reported

Hurricane Otto has forced evacuation of thousands from their homes in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. There has been heavy rains from the unusually strong late-season storm and it has resulted in three deaths in Panama. Costa Rica has declared a national emergency and officials have ordered the evacuation of 4,000 people from its Caribbean coast and have closed schools for the rest of the week.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 24 November 2016.

People have been advised to remain indoors since heavy rain was already causing flooding in some areas. The country's National Meteorological Institute has revealed that this will be the first time a hurricane has made landfall in Costa Rica since records began.
Nicaragua has also closed its schools and was evacuating more than 10,000 people from areas in the storm's path. With prediction of heavy rains in the entire country, there are possibilities of flooding and landslides in the interior. The US National Hurricane Center said Otto had regained hurricane strength with winds of 85mph (140kph), after fluctuating between tropical storm and hurricane status earlier this week. Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis is afraid that Hurricane Otto could damage the country's important coffee and agriculture sectors. Similar fears have been expressed by Nicaragua - coffee crops almost ready for harvest could be harmed.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture