Hurricane Iota left a trail of destruction in its wake as it erupted in parts of Nicaragua and Honduras.
The storm, which is now weakened by tropical stress, landed late Monday night on the northeastern coast of Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane. The hurricane hit almost the same strip of devastating Caribbean coast by Hurricane Ata about two weeks ago.
The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical hurricane late Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning, Iota was over El Salvador, according to the National Hurricane Center. The day after the storm is expected to move beyond Central America.
IOT moves to tropical pressure after catastrophic damage in Nicaragua
Ayota swept across the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and flooded parts of neighboring Honduras that were still under the waters of Hurricane Eta, with authorities struggling to assess the damage after communications began in some areas.
Fall tree branches cover the house after Hurricane Iota passed through the sauna on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 in Nicaragua. Hurricane Iota erupted in Nicaragua after a coastal thunderstorm similar to a Coastal Class 4 hurricane almost identical to the Caribbean coast. It was recently devastated by an equally powerful hurricane.
(AP Photo / Carlos Herrera)
CD-Sinaprade, Nicaragua’s emergency management agency, tweeted pictures of trees and damaged buildings scattered in Almicabe and Prinzapolca in the wake of Aota.
On the remote east coast of Honduras, people had to leave damaged and flooded houses.
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“It simply came to our notice then. “The Bara Patuka sector has been flooded for the past two weeks,” said Tionella Pesano Wood, mayor of Honduran, Bruce Laguna. “We are in danger if it continues to rain.”
People watch the waters of the Rio Burmejo following Hurricane Iota in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. On Tuesday, November 17, 2020. Hurricane Iota erupted in Negatigu, hours after a Category 4 hurricane-like thunderstorm, almost exactly the same area of the Caribbean coast recently devastated by the same powerful hurricane.
(AP Photo / Dealer Martinez)
According to the National Hurricane Center, Iota has a significant risk of flooding in parts of Central America.
Fatal flash floods and river floods are expected during Thursday in some parts of Central America due to heavy rains from Ayota, the NOCC said in an advisory at 4 a.m. Wednesday. “Floods in parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala can be exacerbated by saturated soils in muddy places, with potentially significant devastating effects.”
Aid organizations are working through Iota to help those affected.
Hurricane IoT has sparked warnings of flush floods and landslides in Nicaragua hits, parts of Central America.
In a statement emailed to Fox News, Latin American Emergency Response Coordinator Raul Pineda said Hurricane Aita had swept across the region struggling to recover from the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Ata, leaving thousands homeless. . “Thousands of families have been affected by these subsequent storms, and the United States stands ready to meet their immediate health needs.”
In San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, a man watches the rising waters of the Rio Burmese.
(AP Photo / Dealer Martinez)
The hurricane has also affected the region while it is wrestling with the effects of the coronavirus epidemic.
The medical relief organization Project Hope is working in areas affected by Hurricanes Iota and Eta, providing PPE (Personal Protective Devices) and assistance. “This is a level of crisis we have never seen before,” said Andrea Dunn-Sosa, Project Hope’s regional director for the United States, in a statement emailed to Fox News.
Project Hope notes that Hurricane Eta has led to an increase in COVID-19 infections in Honduras. Even with increasing testing, human displacement poses a significant risk for the spread of COVID-19, it said.
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The organization has also highlighted the long-term impact of the hurricane. “We fear an outbreak of additional infectious diseases among displaced people and will also affect the main livelihoods of communities’ fishing and agriculture, resulting in increased food insecurity,” the statement said in an emailed statement to Fox News.
Janice Dean of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
