By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services

The Consulate of Costa Rica in Miami has announced that the offices will be closed due to the passage of Hurricane Dorian on the east coast of Florida.

Also, the consulate enabled a line on the WhatsApp platform, number 1-305-772-5958 to answer questions from Costa Rican citizens who are currently in Florida.

However, the consulate called on the citizens to obey the recommendations of the authorities and evacuate the state as soon as possible. Or if they cannot evacuate, to seek safe shelter.

On Tuesday, Florida authorities issued Mandatory Evacuation Orders ahead of the arrival of the Dorian hurricane.

"The residents should start evacuating, those who live on the barrier islands, including areas from Kennedy Space Center to the southern beaches, and Merritt Island. And, those in mobile homes or manufactured housing, or those in low-lying, flood-prone areas, or those with special medical needs such as electrical dependence," said the authorities in its statement.

The counties under evacuation decrees were in Clay, Duval, Flagler, Hendry, Highlands, Martin, Nassau, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach, and Putnam.

According to U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), Tropical Storm Dorian will be lashing the central Florida coast on Tuesday.

"Tropical storm conditions will continue on Grand Bahama Island and along the Treasure Coast of Florida for a few more hours. And are expected to begin in north Florida and Georgia late Tuesday or early Wednesday," said NOAA.

According to the specialist, on Tuesday night, Dorian was centered about 110 miles (180 km) east of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The core of Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through Wednesday night. The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina on Thursday through Friday morning.

Updated information on Tropical Storm Dorian can be reached at NOAA site here.*

According to Voice of America report*, Hurricane Dorian will likely avoid landfall in Florida, but that does not mean residents of the Sunshine State or anywhere else along southeastern U.S. coast can relax.

Forecasters say Dorian is getting bigger and will move "dangerously close" to Florida and Georgia Tuesday through Wednesday night, then threaten North and South Carolina with massive rainfall and powerful winds.

As of late Tuesday, Dorian was a Category 2 storm, about 200 kilometers east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, with top sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for an area from near the Savannah River along the Georgia-South Carolina border north to Surf City, North Carolina.

Even if it stays offshore, Dorian's winds and rain extend 95 kilometers from the center and is expected to remain a powerhouse the rest of the week.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami cautions everyone along the Mid-Atlantic coast -- from Maryland to New York City -- to keep a close eye on Dorian.

Dorian finally drifted away from the Bahamas Tuesday, leaving behind devastation described as "apocalyptic," "total," and looking as if a bomb had gone off.

The lack of wind currents in the atmosphere kept Dorian parked on top of Abaco and Grand Bahama Island for two days as a Category 4. It was the strongest storm ever to strike the Bahamas.

Initial reports say more than 13,000 homes were destroyed.

The runways at the Grand Bahama international airport are under water, making rescue efforts complicated.

Five deaths have been reported. But Lia Head-Rigby, who runs a hurricane relief organization on Abaco said bodies are being gathered.

She said it is no longer a question of rebuilding on Abaco; it is time to start over.


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