M itch: A Path of Destruction
Special Report by Declan McLaughlin
Millions are affected as the worst hurricane of theseason causes havoc in southern Florida. With windsof up to 180mph, the tropical storm has caused up to$6billion worth of destruction, destroying homes andleading to widespread flooding. Well over 10,000 arebelieved to have been killed,with Nicaragua and Hondurasbearing the brunt of the storm.Development in some of thewestern hemisphere's poorestcountries has been set back byas much as 50 years. Hundredsof people are still missing.Mudslides claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 people and lefthundreds of thousandshomeless. And as Mitchcontinued to wreak havoc, theCasita volcano erupted and aminor earthquake hit the city of Chinandega. Despite abating inthe days before, Mitch regainedstrength over the Gulf of Mexicoon 3 November, hitting southernFlorida and gradually headingtowards the western coast on 5November. Tornadoes and windsof up to 55mph (88kph) knockeddown trees and power lines inthe Florida Keys region. Much of southern Florida was put under atropical storm warning and shelters were opened inthe Key West and Key Largo. Due to its slow motionfrom October 29 to November 3, Hurricane Mitchdropped historic amounts of rainfall in Honduras,Guatemala, and Nicaragua, with unofficial reports of up to 75 in. Deaths due to catastrophic floodingmade it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane inhistory; nearly 11,000 people were killed with over11,000 left missing. According to the BritishBroadcasting Corporation (BBC), the hurricane hasleft 14,000 dead in Honduras alone with over 70% of crops destroyed. Many experts believe that it willtake these countries as long as 20-30years to fullyrecover from this disaster with an estimated $6billionworth of damage leaving Honduras and Nicaraguawith a spiralling debt problem. Honduras is one of theworld's poorest nations. It is one of the most deeplyin debt. It repays loans to the IMF,World Bank and others at the rateof £1m ($1.7m) a day. Mitchformed in the western CaribbeanSea on October 22, and afterdrifting through extremelyfavorable conditions, it rapidlystrengthened to peak at Category 5status, the highest possible ratingon the Saffir-Simpson HurricaneScale. After drifting southwestwardand weakening, the hurricane hitHonduras as a minimal hurricane. Itdrifted through Central America,reformed in the Bay of Campeche,and ultimately struck Florida as astrong tropical storm. Due to thethreat, the government of Honduras evacuated some of the45,000 citizens on the Bay Islandsand prepared all air and navalresources. The government of Belize issued a red alert and askedfor citizens on offshore islands toleave for the mainland. Becausethe hurricane threatened to strikenear Belize City as a Category 4 hurricane, much of the city was evacuated in fear of a repeat of Hurricane Hattie 37 years earlier. Guatemala issued a
Hurricane Mitch caused over $6billion worth of damage, mostprominently in Honduras.
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