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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 November 2020
Iota's devastation comes into focus in storm-weary Nicaragua

By CARLOS HERRERA less. "The hurricane came,
Associated Press it destroyed my house, my
MACIZO DE PEÑAS BLAN- daughter's house. It de-
CAS, Nicaragua (AP) — stroyed five houses in total,"
The devastation caused Wilfred said. "Where am I
by Hurricane Iota became going to live?"
clearer Wednesday as im- Iota arrived Monday eve-
ages emerged showing ning with winds of 155 mph
piles of wind-tossed lum- (250 kph), hitting nearly the
ber that used to be homes same location as Hurricane
and concrete walls that Eta two weeks earlier. By
were pounded into pieces early Wednesday, Iota had
by the second Category 4 dissipated over El Salvador,
storm to blast Nicaragua's but the storm's torrential
Caribbean coast in two rains remained a threat.
weeks. Parts of neighboring Hon-
The official death toll in Ni- duras were still under water
caragua stood at six, as from Eta.
reported by Vice President The storm's center passed
and first lady Rosario Muril- just south of Tegucigalpa,
lo. But that number was ris- the mountainous capital of
ing as authorities surveyed Honduras, where residents
the damage and commu- of low-lying, flood-prone
nications were restored. A man rides his bicycle under the rain brought by Hurricane Iota, in La Lima, Honduras, Tuesday, areas were evacuated, as
The victims were spread Nov. 17, 2020. were residents of hillside
across the country, swept Associated Press neighborhoods vulnerable
away by swollen rivers or to landslides.
buried in landslides. in Matagalpa province, the dirt, and it became like Rolando José Alvarez, the Along Honduras' remote
Rescuers searched at the about 80 miles (130 kilome- a river going down. It took Roman Catholic bishop of eastern coast, people fled
site of a landslide in north- ters) north of Managua. all of the little houses that Matagalpa, said via Twitter their homes as waters rose.
ern Nicaragua, where the Pedro Haslam, the were there. There were five that priests were being sent "What affected us most
local government con- Matagalpa head of the rul- homes, five families," Rodrí- to the area. here was the flooding," said
firmed four deaths and ing Sandinista Front party, guez said. In the coastal city of Bilwi, Teonela Paisano Wood,
neighbors spoke of at least told local Channel 4 televi- One home was spared on a distraught Filimon Wilfred, mayor of the Honduran
16. A short video from the sion that he could confirm the other side of the slide. 72, said Iota had destroyed town of Brus Laguna. "We
nation's emergency man- four deaths, four survivors But it was in a precarious his family's five houses leav- are in danger if it keeps
agement agency showed and 15 missing in the land- position, and rescuers were ing its 18 members home- raining."q
a massive bowl-shaped slide. trying to reach it, he said.
mountainside shrouded in Miguel Rodríguez, who Nicaragua's army said it
clouds that collapsed. Po- works on a ranch next to was sending 100 rescu-
lice blocked media access the site, said he saw at least ers to the site. Access was
to the site on the Macizo de seven bodies. complicated by downed
Peñas Blancas, a mountain "The landslide came with all trees blocking roads.

2020 Nobel Peace ceremony won't be

held in person in Oslo

COPENHAGEN, Denmark receive the Nobel Peace
(AP) — The winner of the Prize on behalf of the or-
2020 Nobel Peace Prize ganization" that won the
— the World Food Pro- prestigious award for efforts
gram — and the Norwe- to combat hunger. But he
gian Nobel Committee will now accept the award
said Wednesday they have during a virtual ceremony
jointly agreed to postpone on Dec. 10.
the in-person award cer- The Nobel Peace Prize cer-
emony in Oslo next month emony usually is held at
because of the coronavirus Oslo City Hall.
pandemic. However, organizers said
"With the current restrictions the event would be a World Food Program (WFP)
in Oslo, it would not be pos- scaled-down affair held Executive Director David
sible to carry out the cer- at the city's university be- Beasley speaks to the media
emony or other parts of the cause of the coronavirus about the organization's Nobel
Peace Prize win, at the airport
laureate's traditional pro- pandemic. in Ouagadougou, Burkina
gram in a good and worthy Now, the Norwegian No- Faso, late Friday, Oct. 9, 2020.
manner," the Nobel Com- bel Committee is planning Associated Press
mittee said in a statement. "a digital award ceremony
WFP head David Beasley where the WFP will be pre- General Antonio Guterres
was expected to travel to sented with the medal and is also expected to attend
the Norwegian capital "to diploma." U.N. Secretary- the virtual forum.q