Costa Rica’s president has declared a state of emergency and thousands have been evacuated from its Caribbean coast as hurricane Otto strengthened and began heading towards land. The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Otto was a category one hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140km/h (85mph) and was moving west at a speed of 15km/h (9mph). Chuck Copeland Wx 🌀 (@NCHurricane_com) The National Hurricane Center 2-Day Graphical #Tropical #Atlantic Outlook: https://t.co/RftG75M6t5 #hurricane pic.twitter.com/EkqkfRTOFTCosta Rica’s National Emergency Commission said it was evacuating 4,000 people from the area where the storm was expected to hit and where rivers could overflow. The country’s National Meteorological Institute noted that a hurricane had never made landfall in Costa Rica since records began. Costa Rica’s president said Otto could damage the country’s important coffee and agriculture sectors.

Source: The Guardian November 24, 2016 02:46 UTC