Nana makes landfall in Belize as a Category 1 hurricane

A stormy system called Nana became a

late on Wednesday

in the Central American nation of Belize,

, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

It is expected to lose strength quickly after making landfall, which is scheduled for

In the neighboring country with Mexico, thousands of people are supplied with food, water and construction materials. 

There were long lines at supermarkets and many of the supplies in hardware stores sold out as Belizeans scrambled to wall up windows and protect the doors of their homes

[The hurricane season was expected to be intense: it will be even worse]

Nana was about 60 miles east-southeast of Belize City Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds of up to 75 miles per hour, the NHC reported.

The storm was moving at 16 miles per hour and is expected to strengthen throughout the day.

Belize issued a hurricane watch for the entire coast.

Nana was located 65 miles northeast of the Honduran island of Roatán, a popular tourist destination.

Heavy rains are expected in Belize, as in northern

and throughout

when the storm crosses the isthmus on Thursday.

The

and the peninsula of

have received Tropical storm warnings and there are warnings of possible flash floods.

Nana's trajectory is expected to take her to the Pacific coast in the following days, between the border of Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas.

[How and when to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm]  

Local leaders in rural villages in the Toledo district, in the extreme south, awaited the order of the National Organization for Emergency Management to open shelters with the added difficulty of maintaining distance between people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

As night

,

, the news agency reported.

With information from The Associated Press and Prensa Libre