5. Damage in the Capital City

From October 27 – 31, 1998, the hurricane produced torrential rains causing mass destruction due to mudslides in Tegucigalpa, yet the damage did not stop then. Tegucigalpa citizen Oswaldo Domingues added to the public journal on Sunday, November 1, that, “It has not stopped raining, there are no bridges, the streets are useless, we are also without water and the electricity comes in short instances. It is unbelievable!” He continued to comment that the vast crowds in many of the region’s supermarkets are causing the people to wait outside in the rain covered river like streets in order to gain entry to purchase necessary emergency supplies. Dominguez also added, “Thousands of houses fell and continue to fall. The bridge of the Penitentiary among others fell, and a great part of that building also fell. The criminals threw themselves to the water and escaped and the some police were shooting at them” (“Hurricane Mitch”). It is difficult to envision the destruction that affected so many Tegucigalpan and Honduran citizens during and after Hurricane Mitch passed through the region. This picture shows some Tegucigalpans trekking through the mudslides during the torrential rains.

Honduras, in the beginning

As previously stated, Hurricane Mitch did not begin as an extremely destructive Class Five Hurricane. However, upon developing from a tropical storm to hurricane status, Hurricane Mitch weakened a big and turned southwards, heading toward the northern coast of Honduras. As of 9:00 AM on Monday October 26, 1998, Hondurans fled to the nearest supermarkets and bakeries to their homes in order to stock up on emergency supplies. Among the scarcest items were candles, canned goods, batteries, bottled water, and any items that could be used to combat blackouts. Hurricane Fiji, a category two storm that hit the country in 1974, affected Hondurans by causing much property damage and human casualties. Upon becoming aware of Mitch's category five status, Hondurans felt utmost fear. Three hours later, sustained winds of 175 MPH were reported, and at 12:05 PM, Hurricane Mitch had begun damaging Honduras ("Hurricane Mitch"). The picture to the left shows the hurricane's arrival in Honduras.

Honduras, before and after

Honduras, before and after.

2. Development

On October 10, a disorganized tropical wave developed off of the western African coast and moved westward toward the Caribbean Sea on October 18. Upon entering the Caribbean, the wave organized into Tropical Depression Thirteen while 415 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica. This depression drifted westward and intensified into a tropical storm on October 23 at a location 260 miles southeast of San Andrés Island, a Colombian province in the Caribbean Sea.

1. Hurricane Mitch Overview

Hurricane Mitch occurred in the fall of 1998. It began on October 21 and technically ended on November 1, yet its damage has continued to affect areas in Central America. It most destructively affected Honduras and Nicaragua, yet still left significant damage in parts of Guatemala, El Salvador, and southern parts of Florida in North America.