Attachments
Completed by: Maria Amparo Peña, CASM
Date completed: November 18, 2024.
Forum: ACT Forum Honduras
Type of emergency: Flooding due to Tropical Storm Sara
Date of emergency (if rapid onset): November 13, 2024
1. The nature of the emergency
Tropical Storm Sara severely impacted Central America, posing a critical threat to Honduras due to heavy rainfall and widespread flooding following its landfall late on November 14. The storm made landfall approximately 100 miles west-northwest of Cabo Gracias a Dios, on the Honduras-Nicaragua border, with sustained winds of 45 mph and a westward movement of 10 mph. Torrential rains across the region have significantly heightened risks, with forecasts predicting up to 30 inches of rainfall in northern Honduras. These conditions are expected to result in dangerous flash floods and mudslides, particularly in vulnerable areas such as the flood-prone Sula Valley1.
The emergency in Honduras is escalating, especially in the departments of Atlántida, Yoro, and other heavily impacted areas. The Secretariat for Risk and National Contingency Management (COPECO) has issued multiple alerts to safeguard the population and enable real-time risk monitoring. Additionally, a national emergency has been declared under decree PCM-35-2024, published on November 15 in the official newspaper La Gaceta (Number 36,690). This declaration establishes a 30-day emergency for areas identified by COPECO as severely affected by Tropical Storm Sara.
On Nov. 17, a red alert has been issued for the departments of Islas de la Bahía, Atlántida, Yoro, Colón, Cortés, Valle, Choluteca, and Gracias a Dios. Meanwhile, a yellow alert is in place for Santa Bárbara, Olancho, El Paraíso, and Francisco Morazán.