The help started arriving in Upala , Bagaces and all other communities affected by Hurricane Otto in Costa Rica. The government informed that funding from Developing Banking will be used to help recover the areas affected, by providing assistance to all the farmers and business owners that demonstrate the damage suffered by their company or industry, they will also provide monetary help for the...

By Wendy Anders Animals such as these dogs left behind during an evacuation in Bagaces often suffer and die during and after natural disasters. The country's National Animal Service (Senasa) announced extended hours at their Heredia headquarters to tend to livestock owners with concerns related to Hurricane Otto. Monday has been declared a national day of mourning  in Costa Rica for the dea...

By Wendy Anders Hurricane Otto on its approach towards Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Hurricane Otto left at least 564 damaged homes as it passed through the municipality of San Juan de Nicaragua, also known as Greytown, on the southeast coast of the country bordering Costa Rica, where it landed on Thursday late morning as a Category 2 hurricane, leaving no casualties so far, authorities said to...

By Wendy Anders A satellite image of Hurricane Otto as it made landfall yesterday mid-morning. After Hurricane Otto’s high winds and heavy rains lashed northern Costa Rica all day yesterday and most of last night, Costa Rica has all of its emergency personnel working at maximum capacity clearing roads, searching for possible disappeared persons, keeping shelters supplied, tallying of damage...

Guayabo de Bagaces, Guanacaste The North of Costa Rica, specially the areas of Upala and Los Chiles in Alajuela and several areas in Guanacaste, were severely affected by the heavy rains and winds of Hurricane Otto, which made landfall in Nicaragua yesterday and moved through Costa Rica as a category 1 hurricane. So far 3 people have been confirmed dead and there are several people missing hav...

Currently Otto storm is affecting the North of Alajuela province, most specifically in Upala which lost electricity service a couple of hours ago. Watch the video below: (EFE).- The eye of Hurricane Otto passed over Costa Rica Thursday afternoon bringing winds of at least 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour and dumping rain in the northern part of the country, the National Weather Institute,...

By Wendy Anders Emergency Commission staff load supplies for delivery to northern Costa Rica today. Costa Rican authorities extended the red alert (highest emergency alert) to the entire province of Guanacaste due to the change in course of Hurricane Otto that made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane at 10:35 a.m. today, reported the Costa Rican National Emergency Commission (CNE). Accord...

Luckily for Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Hurricane Otto lost strength as it made landfall on the coast of southeastern Nicaragua, it is currently traveling at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour with winds of 175 kilometers per hour. Heavy rain continues to fall in the northeast area of Costa Rica. The Meteorological Institute expects that Otto will continue to move through Costa Rican territory wit...

Update: Hurricane Otto had already strengthen to a category 2 hurricane early this Thursday morning and affected certain areas in Costa Rica with heavy rain. As of 11:15 a.m. Costa Rica time Hurricane Otto hit land in Bluefields, Nicaragua, north of Isla Calero in Costa Rica with wind forces almost reaching a category 3 hurricane. Experts expect Otto will lose strength and will degrade to a tropic...

If you happen to be vacationing in Costa Rica right now and you are concerned about the hurricane alert, don’t panic, here’s what you need to know: This is the first-time Costa Rica is in danger of being directly affected by a hurricane; this country has received the indirect effects of several tropical storms and hurricanes in the past, the last one was Juana in 1988. Costa Rica has a three...

In view of the alert in Costa Rica due to Otto storm/hurricane, Avianca, Lacsa, and Albatros airlines had to cancel eight of their flights to and from Costa Rica, Juan Santamaria Airport. Flights with destinations: San Andres, Bogota, Guatemala and Venezuela were cancelled by the airlines and they have informed travelers that those who already had a ticket will not be charged additional fees to...

By Wendy Anders Update on Otto at 1:00 p.m. EST today from The Weather Channel. The Ministry of Public Education announced a nationwide cancellation of classes this afternoon as a preventive safety measure due to the expected arrival of tropical storm Otto this evening or early tomorrow in Costa Rica, announced Education Minister Sonia Marta Mora Escalante on the institution’s official Face...

By Wendy Anders Update on Otto at 1:00 p.m. EST today from The Weather Channel. A red alert for Costa Rica’s northern coast remains in effect due to the expected arrival of Otto late tonight, with residents having been evacuated, schools closed, and clinics in the surrounding region outfitted with additional emergency supplies and increased emergency staff, said the National Emergency Commi...

Panama City, Nov. 22 — At least four people have died, another has gone missing, about 50 dwellings have been destroyed, classes have been suspended and flights at airports have been interrupted due to Tropical Storm Otto, which has since been upgraded to hurricane status, Panamanian authorities said Tuesday. Hurricane Otto's projected path, U.S. Weather Channel. A boy was killed Tuesday mo...

As Otto strengthens from tropical storm to category 1 hurricane and continues to move towards Costa Rica the government has requested black Friday promotions to be moved to another date at least in the areas under red alert, particularly the duty free center of Golfito in the South Pacific, in order to prevent unnecessary emergency situations. The administration of the duty free has already confir...

By Wendy Anders Residents of remote areas in the northern Costa Rican Caribbean are escorted to safe areas by plane in advance of Hurricane Otto. In a televised announcement today, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís ordered communities along Costa Rica’s northern Atlantic coast to leave their homes in advance of Hurricane Otto’s imminent arrival. Otto is expected to make landfall...

CARIBBEAN HURRICANE Photo from The Weather Channel. Miami, Nov 22 — Tropical Storm Otto on Tuesday strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) as it continued to move toward Costa Rica and Nicaragua, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. As of 21:00 GMT (3:00 p.m. Costa Rica time), the storm was located 305 miles (485 km) east-southea...

Tokyo  — Japan activated its tsunami alert system early Tuesday local time after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima. Japan's north and central eastern coast is on high tsunami alert after a 7.3 quake. The temblor, which occurred at 5:59 am (20:59 GMT Monday), was felt strongly in Tokyo, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) away. Japanes...

The highest cloud tops, corresponding to the most vigorous convection, are shown in the dark red and pink colors. To be designated a tropical cyclone, deep convection must persist near a closed circulation of low pressure at the surface. Satellite image from the Weather Channel last night. By Wendy Anders Costa Rica is taking the brunt of a late-season tropical low-pressure system that fore...

REUTERS - A group of the countries most at risk from climate change said they would strive to make their energy production 100 percent renewable "as rapidly as possible", as part of efforts to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), which numbers 48 nations, also committed to update their climate action plans submitted as part of the U.N. climate pac...

Marrakesh, Morocco, Nov. 15 — The Secretary-General of the United Nations said yesterday that he hopes the new president-elect of the United States will understand the severity and urgency of climate change. Ban Ki-moon spoke at a press conference in Marrakech, Morocco, amid the ongoing COP22 talks, a meeting of almost 200 nations to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement limiting greenhouse gas em...

By Wendy Anders Hurricane Matthew Surface pressures are slowly falling over the southwestern Caribbean Sea, and a broad low pressure system is expected to form in this area during the next day or two. According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for the slow development of this disturbance. This could lead to the formation ...

By Wendy Anders Boaters, swimmers and other ocean-goers be forewarned: High tides and high waves are predicted for the next few days in both the Pacific and Caribbean of Costa Rica. The University of Costa Rica’s Oceanography Department says the juncture of tonight’s full moon together with the approaching autumnal equinox will generate the second highest tides of the year this week. The ...

(EFE).- A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the South Island of New Zealand on Sunday, without reports on casualties or declaring a tsunami alert by the authorities. The tremor occurred at 23:02 local time (11:02 GMT) and had its epicenter at the depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), according to the United States Geological Survey which records seismic activity worldwide. Incident re...

The eve of November 14 if the weather conditions help, we should be able to witness the super moon, a phenomenon in which the full moon appears up to 14% bigger and considerably brighter (around a 30% according to NASA); although there was another super moon just a few weeks back (October 16), this next one is expected to be the brightest ever in the 21st century, the last one was seen in 1948. ...

By Wendy Anders A recent night-time eruption. On October 29, 2014, just before midnight, the Turrialba Volcano blasted an eruption that sent nearby residents fleeing from their homes, as reported by the National University’s Volcanology and Seismology Research Institute (Ovsicori-UNA). No one was hurt in this renewal of the volcano’s active phase, luckily. Now, after two straight year...

By Wendy Anders After many days of small but constant emissions of ash and gases, Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano, located southeast of the capital city, had a secular eruption early this morning. The event was captured on a home video at 5:25 a.m. by Jesús Edu Jimal from his home in Turrialba. Some beautiful photos of the eruption, which could be seen from many locales due to the clear we...

By Wendy Anders Photo for illustrative purposes. This evening at about 6:00, a private Cessna plane crashed into the sea near Tambor Beach on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, reported Costa Rica’s Teletica Channel 7 TV. Coast Guard rescue boats and planes were employed to rescue the five people aboard the TI AUJ Cesna 230 at about 6:25 p...

By Wendy Anders Barceló Hotel at Tambor Beach was flooded extensively on Monday. Photo, CRHoy.com. The rainy season is at its heaviest, as is typical in Costa Rica and much of Central America in October. Flooding is common, and caution must be taken especially when traveling in low lying areas and near rivers at this time of year. In August, three U.S. tourists drowned in a flash flood i...

CLIMATE CHANGE Nexus is a line of hydrofluorocarbon-free appliances, Facebook. Kigali, Rwanda, Oct. 15 — Nearly 200 countries reached an agreement Saturday on the phase-out of hydrofluorocarbon gases found in air conditioners, refrigeration devices, foams and aerosols, which have a strong impact on global warming. The agreement, adopted in Kigali after a week of discussions and an all-ni...

Newton Grove, North Carolina, Oct. 13 — Around a hundred Hispanics have been sleeping in their cars or on the streets since flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew swept away a trailer park in this small North Carolina town. The Lumber River in North Carolina flooded due to Hurricane Matthew, Facebook. "We have lost everything and we don't know what to do. So far, no authorities have come to h...

Hurricane Matthew damage in the southeastern U.S., posted on Facebook. Miami, Oct. 10 — At least 10 people have died in North Carolina due to flooding associated with Hurricane Matthew, which has been blamed for a score of fatalities since it began battering the southeastern U.S. coast last week. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said Monday that 10 people had died in that state, five others ...

By Wendy Anders Facebook post of Turrialba Volcano by Wayne Harrison on Oct. 4, 2016. At 5:00 yesterday evening the National University’s Volcanology and Seismology Research Institute (Ovsicori-UNA) reported that ash had been emanating constantly from Costa Rica's Turrialba Volcano for the previous 24 hours. A brief break in the cloud cover yesterday around 4:00 p.m. showed a column risi...

(Reuters) - Hurricane Matthew's winds diminished on Saturday as it headed towards the Carolinas after killing almost 900 people in Haiti and causing major flooding and widespread power outages in the southeastern United States. As winds dropped to less than 85 miles per hour (135 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale of 1 to 5, the storm was about 20 miles (35 km) s...

(EFE).- The death toll in Haiti from Hurricane Matthew climbed on Friday to more than 800, making it the worst natural disaster since a 2010 earthquake claimed roughly 300,000 lives. The latest fatalities figure came from a Haitian government source, who told EFE that 820 people had been confirmed dead. The magnitude of the disaster was only beginning to become apparent on Friday, three days...

By Wendy Anders At least a dozen flights both entering and leaving Costa Rica around noon today were cancelled due to  Hurricane Matthew, reported Aeris, the managers of the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Several outbound flights on Jet Blue, American Airlines, and Spirit Air heading towards Miami, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Florida were cancelled arou...

(EFE).- Hurricane Matthew strengthened on Thursday to Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph), and continues to approach the east coast of Florida, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. As of 1500 GMT, the "extremely dangerous" hurricane was located 25 miles (40 kilometers) west-northwest of Nassau, Bahamas, and 180 miles (290 kilometers) southeast of West Palm Beach, F...

(EFE).- The United Nations said Wednesday that the Paris Accord on climate change will take effect Nov. 4, as a sufficient number of countries have ratified the agreement. "I am delighted to announce that today the Paris Agreement will cross the second and final threshold needed for entry into force, and will enter into force on 4 November 2016," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a sta...

Havana, Oct. 4 — Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful storm to strike the Caribbean in nine years, made landfall Tuesday in southeastern Cuba packing sustained winds of up to 240 kph (149 mph), the island's Insmet weather service said. Hurricane Matthew beating Jamaica, from Facebook. Authorities ordered nearly 900,000 residents of the provinces of Camagüey, Granma, Las Tunas, Santiago, H...

(EFE).- The United States Navy has ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel and their families from the Guantanamo base in Cuba, owing to the threat posed by the Category 4 Hurricane Matthew. Around 6,000 people, including members of the US Navy and their families and workers contracted from Jamaica and the Philippines, stay at the Guantanamo base, which serves as a prison for terr...