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 with direction towards the west, causing rains of variable intensity in the next hours mainly in the Caribbean and the Northern side of the country. Heavy winds and moderate rain will affect the country throughout today and tomorrow (Friday, November 25th).

The red alert has been extended to the entire province of Guanacaste, however, evacuation is not considered necessary except in the areas close to rivers or vulnerable to mudslides.

Recommendations for the following 24-48 hours include:

• For the Caribbean area and Guanacaste area: precaution for small boats and swimmers as the ocean will be presenting rough conditions.
• Stay informed through media channels and official government sources of any alerts, emergency situations or changes in the weather conditions.
• Drive carefully, especially if you are in an area affected by heavy rain and strong winds.

Areas affected by floods include: the Caribbean (specially Tortuguero, Barra del Colorado and Parismina), the Northern side of Guanacaste and Alajuela, and the South Pacific which had received heavy rainfall since earlier this week and had already suffered floods.
Otto is expected to downgrade to a tropical storm in the next hour, the rain will still affect the areas declared in red alert.

The Central Valley of Costa Rica has not suffered major effects; isolated rains are present in most areas since Wednesday night and are expected to continue through early Friday.

The quick response of the Costa Rican government in the evacuation of vulnerable zones, and the flowing information, prevented further damage and casualties. The erratic behavior of the hurricane made it difficult for authorities to predict the true level of danger the storm presented over the country, but preventive measures were implemented quickly and properly.

Local authorities are now focusing on evaluating damages in the affected areas.