Hurricane Otto Kills 3 in Panama; National Emergency Declared in Costa Rica and Thousands Evacuated

Ada Carr
Published: November 23,2016
Three deaths were blamed on Otto as the storm moved toward Central America Tuesday, and officials were taking no chances with the storm strengthening as it inched closer to landfall.
A national emergency was declared in Costa Rica as the nation prepared for the storm, according to the French Press Agency. Costa Rica ordered the evacuation of 4,000 people from its Caribbean coast ahead of the storm. The effort was expected to involve planes, boats and roads in the low-lying coastal areas.
Civil defense officials in Panama said Tuesday that two people died in landslides and a child was killed when a tree collapsed on top of a car outside a school in Panama City. The deaths occurred before Otto strengthened to a hurricane.
(MORE: Check the Forecast for Otto)
Panama's civil defense director Jose Donderis said the landslide occurred just west of Panama City and trapped nine people. Seven people were rescued.
Nicaragua ordered evacuations in low-lying areas of its sparsely populated Caribbean coast, an order that could cover about 7,000 people, the Associated Press reported.
Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solis said Otto could damage the country's coffee and agriculture sectors.
Panama announced Tuesday that it would be canceling classes and releasing water from locks and lakes feeding into the Panama Canal.