Hurricane Eta Forces Red Alerts, Evacuations in Nicaragua and Honduras

 Ron Brackett

Published: November 2, 2020

The governments of Nicaragua and Honduras declared red alerts Monday for much of their countries as Hurricane Eta barreled toward their Caribbean coasts.

The Nicaraguan government issued the highest alert for the Northern Caribbean and Mining Triangle regions.

Residents of coastal communities were told to evacuate as supplies were delivered and military personnel were flown to the areas, according to SINAPRED, Nicaragua's National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention of Disasters.

Eta rapidly intensified into a major hurricane on Monday and is expected to bring devastating winds and storm surge late Monday and early Tuesday. The storm also could cause potentially catastrophic, life-threatening flooding rainfall that will last for days in much of Central America.

(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Hurricane Eta)

Supplies sent to Puerto Cabezas on Nicaragua's northern Caribbean coast — where Eta is projected to make landfall — included 88 tons of food, sleeping mats, plastic and hygiene kits, SINAPRED said.

"The houses are totally vulnerable, they are old wooden houses lined with plastic" that can't stand up to Eta's pounding winds, Kevin González, a volunteer with a crew that helps evacuate people, told La Nacíon.

Some evacuations began Saturday when the navy helped about 1,600 people get off Cayos Miskitos, a tiny island about 30 miles off the coast.

Yellow alerts were declared from the regions of Jinotega and Nueva Segovia and to the west as far as Chinandega on the Pacific coast.

In Honduras, red alerts were declared in Gracias a Dios, Colón, Olancho, Atlántida and Isla de la Bahia, according to COPECO, the Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras.

Heavy rains were already falling Monday in the town of Tela in Atlántida, causing flooding that forced some families from their homes.

Firefighters help families stranded by floodwaters Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Tela, Honduras, after the Lancetilla River overflowed its banks.

The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, tweeted that COPECO had 60 tons of food, mats, blankets, sheets and first aid kits ready to go to affected areas.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.