ReliefWeb

Otto became a tropical storm on the afternoon of Monday, 21 November, 2016. It is located in the north of Panama and is moving west with winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour. On the forecast track, the storm is expected to hit land as a hurricane on the Costa Rican-Nicaraguan border on Thursday (November 24). A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for San Andres (Colombia) and for the Costa Rica/Panama border, and a Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Costa Rica/Panama border.

Panama

• There is yellow alert at national level and prohibition for swimmers on the Caribbean coast (there are waves of up to 9 feet). Preventive measures have been issued for the Pacific.
• Floods, landslides and tree fall are reported in several sectors of the country and multiple road disruptions.
• Authorities have activated the Emergency Operations Center. Damage is reported in the provinces of Chiriquí, Colón, Panama, and Bocas del Toro. 1,500 people and 350 houses are affected.
• Electricity and potable water cuts have been reported in some areas of Panama and Colón.
• National authorities are responding with rescue and humanitarian relief.
• Three shelters have been enabled to house about 254 people (province of Chiriquí).
• Classes have been suspended for two days nationwide (22 and 23 November).

Costa Rica

• Evacuation of communities on the coast and the banks of the San Juan River is mandatory.
• The estimated population to evacuate is 4,000 people.
• Authorities report 1,183 houses damaged, 134 affected communities on both the Caribbean coast and the south of the country, and 9 shelters housing 638 people.
• Damage is also reported in road infrastructure and the closure of at least 7 schools.
• Assistance to the affected persons, as well as recovery actions of the affected areas are managed by the corresponding authorities.

Nicaragua

• Otto is forcasted to strike Nicaragua on Thursday (24 November) as a hurricane. It is expected that it will hit land in the Autonomous Region of the South Caribbean.
• The Nicaraguan government, through its civil protection agency, SINAPRED, issued on Monday, 21 November 21 a yellow alert for the South Caribbean region and the departments of Zelaya Central, Chontales and Río San Juan. Sailing expeditions have been canceled.
• Institutional, sectoral, regional, departmental and municipal contingency plans have been activated, as well as plans to accompany families and the preparation of shelters.
• Supplies have been sent to attend the first level of emergency in the most at risk communities.

El Salvador

• Strong winds are reported accompanied by low temperatures and some isolated rains. The storm is expected to impact the country later this week. The system is being monitored by the Environmental Observatory of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN for its acronym in Spanish).

Regional Actions

• OCHA and United Nations Emergency Technical Teams (UNETT) are monitoring the situation.
• OCHA has contacted the regional partners to coordinate preparedness and response actions.
• National Red Cross Societies in Costa Rica and Nicaragua are responding locally with humanitarian assistance to people affected.
• The International Federation of Red Cross is updating their emergency stocks in the regional storehouse in preparation for possible requests of assistance.