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 News from Around the Americas | October 2005 
Beta Churns Toward Colombia Archipelago
 Filadelfo Aleman - Associated Press
| | A wave breaks against Havana's Malecon (seafront), damaged after the battering of Huricane Wilma last weekend. Cuba has accepted an offer of US help in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, the first time in memory the Marxist island state has said yes to American largesse, US officials said.(AFP/File/Adalberto Roque) |
Tropical Storm Beta churned steadily toward an archipelago off the coast of Nicaragua on Friday, forcing the evacuations of hundreds of tourists and residents in its path.
Meteorologists said Beta was on track to reach hurricane strength later in the day, which would make it the 13th hurricane of the already record-breaking Atlantic season of a total 23 named storms.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane warning for San Andres and the nearby island of Providencia — both far-flung possessions of Colombia about 450 miles away.
On Thursday, the storm's outer winds reached San Andres, where about 500 tourists and 200 residents living in shacks on the southern beaches were moved to shelters set up by the government.
Storm surge flooding of 4 to 7 feet above normal tide levels was expected on both islands, and San Andres' 80,000 inhabitants were also likely to be hit by as much as 20 inches of rain.
Beta is expected to reach mainland Nicaragua as a strong Category 2 hurricane by Sunday. Forecasters said it was not expected to threaten the United States.
Officials used clergy to convince people to leave San Andres, about 110 miles off Nicaragua's coast.
"The emergency workers went door to door with priests and nuns because of lot of the residents didn't want to leave and needed reassuring from the (Catholic) Church," said San Andres police chief Col. Carlos Mena.
In Managua, the Nicaraguan capital, President Enrique Bolanos called on emergency officials to begin preparing for the storm. "We are going to send food, clothing and medicine, even if we have to ask for it on credit," Bolanos said.
Beta's winds strengthened to nearly 65 mph; by early Friday it was about 35 miles east of San Andres and about 180 miles east of Bluefields, the nearest point on the Nicaraguan coast.
The storm was moving north slowly at about 3 mph, but was expected to take a gradual turn to the northwest.
Beta would be the first hurricane to hit the Colombian islands since Hurricane Cesar slammed into them in 1996, killing three people.
A Colombian air force plane flying from the mainland dropped off 8 tons of food and other emergency aid in San Andres, including 300 hammocks, 1,100 sheets and 350 kits for cooking.
Richard Knabb, hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said storm activity was not unusual toward the end of hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
"It may not be over with Beta, but let's hope so," he said.
This year's Atlantic hurricane season has seen more named storms than at any point since record keeping began in 1851. The previous record of 21 was set in 1933.
Last week Tropical Storm Alpha formed, marking the first time a letter from the Greek alphabet has been used because the list of storm names was exhausted.
Associated Press writer Dan Molinski contributed to this story from Bogota, Colombia. |
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