[NYTr] Hurricane Felix Threatens C. America; Nicaragua Prepares Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2007 19:05:52 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Prensa Latina, Havana http://www.plenglish.com Hurricane Felix threatens Central America Washington, Sep 3 (Prensa Latina) Hurricane Felix is plowing through the western Caribbean, slightly weakened to a category four in the five-degree Saffir-Simpson Scale, the US National Hurricane Center reported at 2 PM Monday. At that time the storm was at 14.2 degrees North Latitude and 78.7 degrees West Longitude, 250 miles east of Cape Gracias a Dios, on the Nicaragua-Honduras border and moving at nearly 20 mph. Felix heads west with sustained winds of 143 mph and is expected to remain stable in the following 24 hours although gust winds may grow stronger tonight. Felix is the sixth storm and second hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean of the current storm season that spans from June 1 to November 10 and hints at a catastrophe for Central America. Honduras' Permanent Contingency Commission declared a red alert for Roatan, Utila and Guanaja islands where Felix was feared to rival Mitch, which in 1998 left 15,000 dead and missing. It also issued yellow alerts for Gracias a Dios, Colon, Atlantida, Olancho, Cortes and Yoro Departments, while Nicaragua evacuated 10,000 persons from its Caribbean coast. ef ccs emw vm *** Nicaragua Prepares for Hurricane Felix Managua, Sep 3 (Prensa Latina) Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega appealed to the Caribbean Coast population to remain calm to confront the imminent arrival of the powerful storm Felix, and he guaranteed government support to those affected by the hurricane. In statements by phone to La Nueva Radio Ya from Panama, Ortega said he is in contact with Col. Ramon Arnesto Soza, SINAPRED director (National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Assistance), to begin evacuation of the population. Ortega also ordered Treasury and Public Credit Minister Alberto Guevara to arrange the necessary resources for shelters with food and provisions. First Lady Rosario Murillo informed that the president will be in Nicaragua this afternoon to take charge of the tasks to face the now category 5 (Saffir-Simpson) hurricane. SINAPRED has issued a yellow alert for the North Atlantic autonomous region (RAAN) and a green alert for the rest of the Central American country. This morning Hurricane Felix, with sustained 161 mph winds, was 363 miles east of Cape Gracias a Dios, northeast limit of Nicaragua on the frontier with Honduras, and could hit Rio Coco and other RAAN communities tomorrow. ef ccs gdb nm * ================================================================= .NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems . Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us . .339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org . List Archives: https://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ . Subscribe: https://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================