“A state of national emergency is declared throughout the territory of the republic for a period of 15 days,” said a decree approved by the country’s parliament that allows for the activation of emergency services and funding for disaster response.

Pilar was moving towards El Salvador with maximum sustained winds of 65kph, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The storm was expected “to produce heavy rainfall and flash flooding in portions of Central America during the next few days”, the NHC said in a statement early today.

Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are also at risk from the storm, it added.

El Salvador has a population of 6.6 million, and nearly 90% of its territory is vulnerable to floods, landslides and constant tremors.

Last year, the country was hit by Tropical Storm Julia, which killed 10 people and caused millions of dollars in economic losses.