Hurricane Mitch on October 28, 1998

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 12:11 a.m.

We have just received the following report on La Ceiba:

Hi, my name is Monica. I spoke with my mother at 10:15 pm. She had a chance to give me some information before the phone went dead. She lives in Barrio Alvarado which isn't far from the river Cangrejal.

She said the rain is coming down in torrents, that the river is starting to flood Barrio Alvarado, has already flooded Colonia Zelaya and Barrio La Julia. The emergency crews are trying to get the river to flood towards the other(unpopulated) side of town, towards Colonia Mary, but their efforts seem in vain.

Colonia El Sauce is starting to flood on the side by Instituto Manuel Bonilla, the water level is up to the windows at Burger King, next to Hotel La Quinta (for those of you who are from la Ceiba).

My mom said she took a drive to check out the river to see if she should evacuate her home (around noon earlier today) and said she saw cows and horses and other animals and houses being dragged by the river. She said they have no electricity, no water, and apparently now, no phones. She said the radio stations are off the air, all the businesses downtown have boarded up their windows, and that the ocean has already flooded 10 meters inland, therfore flooding Barrio Ingles.

While we were on the phone she also told me that she could hear trucks going down her block trying to evacuate people and take them someplace safe. That's all she had a chance to tell me before our call got cut off. My mom's a smart woman, if they have to evacuate, she will. Hope this info helps.. One last thing, she said they expect the worst to hit at 3:00 in the morning.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 12:13 a.m.

This is the latest from our Staff at the Emergency Command Center in San Pedro Sula, Honduras:

The rivers are about to overflow, and it is raining from Trujillo to La Ceiba to Puerto Cortes. The worst is happening in the bay islands.

The main river through the town of San Pedro is holding up, but barely. There is a threat of it overflowing into the streets.

There are high winds, especially in La Lima and the town of Progreso.

In San Pedro, the problems are the smaller rivers like Rio Piedras and Rio Blanco, which will spill on the streets in the next few hours. In the streets the rain has made it difficult for cars to move since there is already a lot of water. It is up to bridge levels.

Shelters available in San Pedro Sula are as follows:

Schools: Jose antonio velazquez, republica de honduras, jose ramon aguilar, republica de cuba, petronila barrios de cabanas, leonardo martinez, jose castro lopez, luis landa, presentacion centeno, lila luz de maradiaga, instituto de administracion de empresas, pedro nufio, miguel paz barahona, jose trinidad cabanas, instituto tecnico aleman, soledad fernandez, jardin josefa lastiri, ...
(more to follow)

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 1:34 a.m.

Update on La Ceiba via e-mail:

The river has flooded the Barrio Alvarado and is now approximately up to their knee level. Also, the Cangrejal bridge has suffered damage, and it is very doubtful that it will make it thru this hurricane.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 1:45 a.m.

Staff at Emergency Command Center in San Pedro Sula, Honduras reports:

The river Cangrejal overflowed at 8:30 pm, and in some parts of La Ceiba water is at waist level.
Guanaja: The hurricane has wiped out 24 houses and 8 people have died.
La Ceiba: Earlier report via e-mail contradicted, as La Quinta Hotel informs us that they are not flooded, but the lower parts of the city are.

SHELTERS IN LA CEIBA:

(The center says shelters in La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula have no food, and very little in the way of blankets or other comforts.)

1 CUARTO BATALLON
2 IGLESIA WELLESIANA
3 VILLA MARY
4 MUNICIPALIDAD CEIBENA
5 SUTRAFCO
6 CURLA
7 ESCUELA AUGUSTO COELLO
8 CENTRO COMUNAL BARRIO INGLES
9 IGLESIA PUERTO DEL CIELO
10 FUERZA AEREA
11 ESTACION DE BOMBEROS AEREOPUERTO
12 IGLESIA MANA PEQUENA
13 ESCUELA VASQUEZ

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 2:45 a.m.

"Official" Casualties and Evacuation Statistics as of 24:00 27/10/98

Please note that "REPORTED" numbers of deaths are higher.

Guanaja 2
Jutiapa, Atlántida 2
Morazán, Yoro 2
Chancaya, Yoro 1
Total: 7 deaths

Reported Evacuation Stats
Atlántida 5,724
Colón 250
Islas de la Bahía 800
Pimienta 1,810
Potrerillos 1,020
Santa Cruz de Yojoa 1,080
Villanueva 1,620
San Manuel 540
San Pedro Sula 4,170
La Lima 4,350
Choloma 5,040
Puerto Cortés 15,000
Omoa 2,400
El Progreso 4,260
El Negrito 2,040
Total 45,330 evacuated

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 9:14 a.m.

Update by Carlos Cardenas:

I heard from a friend who is in ceiba right now that cangrejal river got out to colonia el Naranjal which is flooded. The ocean took restaurant 2001. Sante Disco, the place fell down. That is all i know for now.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 9:45 a.m.

Roatan: Anthony's key lost rooms. Reports from other places around the island are much less encouraging. Hurricane Mitch is currently 25 miles east of Guanaja. Winds down to 120 mph. Mitch has been reduced to a category 3 hurricane.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 10:45 a.m.

Currently eye is staying 25 miles east of Guanaja. Winds extending out 105-175 miles. Roatan appears to be in the eye and taking the brunt of the storm.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 11:15 a.m.

Update from Anthony's Key Resort via email:

As per telephone conversations with Roatan at 7:00 am EST., the eye of the hurricane was passing over the North West of the Bay Islands. Conditions on the island were elevated surge, rain and high winds. We from Anthony's Key Resort would like to inform you that we've lost a few rooms, but are by no means all and will be opening again as soon as possible.
Please go to our website for the official updates.

Thank You,
Anthony's Key Resort and Bahia Tours, Inc.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 12:25 p.m.

Exclusive Photos of Shelters - Update to follow shortly.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 12:45 p.m.

News from Staff at Emergency Command Center in San Pedro:

Reported problems with the Bermejo river north of the city is not as bad as originally thought. The river moved the bridge a little, but the emergency command reports that the bridge and traffic are normal.

La Ceiba has 80% phone communication now. Wind and rain continue in the same intensity. Two bridges are out. The police Commandant, one Captain, and three more Police Officers disappeared in the river last night. No one has heard anything more of them.

Puerto Cortes and Tela are only experiencing tropical winds of 80kph and rain.

No communications in Guanaja, as it is nearly the center of the hurricane. Utila has tropical winds, and Roatan is 100% in the hurricane area.

Hurricane Mitch is nearer Trujillo and is expected to go slowly WSW.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 1:40 p.m.

La Ceiba: People are actually catching fish on the streets in front of their homes. The commandant and officers we spoke of in the last update were on their way to a plantation to rescue the children stuck in a flooded orphanage, when the bridge they were crossing gave way.

Guanaja: Cayo Mayor.. 75% destroyed.

Utila: Only 20% destruction, our source states that other than the loss of the airport, things are not too bad. Very few homes are damaged, there are mostly tree branches and debris all over.

San Pedro Sula: The airport is closed, but fully operative. It is being used for rescue operations.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 2:20 p.m.

Update from Sandra Bazley via email.

My husband Gregory Park is in our home on the North Side of Guanaja.
We are near the village of Mangrove Bight which has been devastated.
Greg has 150 people in the house with him. All cement structures are still standing. Greg had radio contact from the other side of the island and there are people alive over there. Bayman Bay club is still standing, mostly.
Other than that we have no word. The Caribbean Star is in Tampa, and will attempt to carry emergency supplies to the island ASAP after Mitch.
Donations in the way of food could be sent directly to Deep Reef Trading c/o Greg Park at 5353 West Tyson, Tampa FL 33611.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 2:25 p.m.

More Exclusive Photos with Update.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 2:30 p.m.

Update via e-mail:

I was able to get through to Phil Stevens at the Sunset Inn and Ocean Diver's resort in West End, Roatan just now. Although roads are out, there is no power, and the sea walls are gone, there is only realatively minor damage in West End. Both Foster's and Sueno del Mar (both built on stilts over the water) have suffered damage to the lower portion of their structures. Unfortunately, the news is not so good on the east end of Roatan. Punta Gorda has been particularly hard hit with several unconfirmed deaths. The news from Guanaja seems even worse.
My prayers are with the islanders, in particualar, with my husband, Alex, and his family in Punta Gorda.
I have no news of them yet.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 7:00 p.m.

Update on La Ceiba via email:

I spoke with my mom earlier today and she told me that they were catching fish and shrimp (crawdads) in the streets in her neighborhood, but I hadn't e-mailed you with the news because to tell you the truth, I didn't believe her, but I just read your update where apparently someone else said this too, so it must be true! INCREDIBLE isn't it? She also told me the same thing this other person mentioned in your update, about the bridge giving way when the commandant and his officers were crossing the bridge (it was the Puente Rio Bonito) and that they hadn't yet found them. She said that apparently the officers shot in the air to try to let rescuers know their location as they were being swept away, but no luck. Also, the two bridges over Rio Cangrejal gave way, both Puente Cangrejal and Punte Saopin. She said Sante disco is gone, also the water from the ocean makes it inaccessible to get to the Sea View restaurant, the amount of sea foam is incredible, she says it looks as though the streets are covered with snow (at least the streets in Ceiba's zona viva, along the beach, which would be calle uno). She said she saw people riding in cayucos in barrio la isla and barrio Ingles. That's all the info she gave me around noon today. Hope this helps.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 7:50 p.m.

Update on Roatan from Loretta Miles:

My husband (Alex Martinez) just called after having been in Punta Gorda since Monday afternoon. There has been NO reported loss of life there, although the damage to homes and buildings has been severe. All buildings on the beach side of the road are gone and many on the other side of the road have suffered extreme damage, some totally destroyed. Ben's Resort is gone. All telephone lines on the east end of Roatan are down, power is out, roads are badly damaged or destroyed, debris is everywhere. He says in his whole life he has never seen anything like this. Let's pray none of us ever do again.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 9:40 p.m.

Hurricane Mitch is still a Category 3.
The mayor of Utila reports winds at 105MPH and just about everyone has been moved to high ground. Things for all intensive purposes are "stable". The worries right now are that milk and other foods for the "kids" are now running low.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 10:45 p.m.

Update from our Staff at the Emergency Command Center in SPS:

The ULUA overflowed at around 6:00 PM and the CHAMELECON river is expected to overflow in about two hours.
Those who reside next to these rivers (La Lima, El Progreso) should be moving to higher ground.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 11:00 p.m.

Reports indicate that there is no passasge between SPS (San Pedro Sula) and Tegucigalpa.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 11:15 p.m.

Honduras.com photos of Emergency Command Center, and the Mayor of San Pedro Sula, Ing. Roberto Larios Silva.

Wednesday - October 28, 1998 - 11:54 p.m.

Northern San Pedro Sula has been ordered to evacuate, especially where there is influence of the River Piedras.

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