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.