Persistent Rains Keep Hurricane Aid at Bay
 Freddy Cuevas - AP
| | Locals wade through a street flooded by heavy rains from Hurricane Beta, in La Ceiba, Honduras. (Omar Galindo) |
Tegucigalpa, Honduras — Steady rains have prevented emergency aid from reaching Hurricane Beta victims on Honduras' Atlantic coast, keeping thousands in shelters there and in neighboring Nicaragua.
Beta made landfall Sunday on Nicaragua's central coast, dumping up to 15 inches of rain there and in neighboring Honduras.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported in either country but the storm flooded dozens of communities, damaged hundreds of buildings, and destroyed crops throughout the region. Thousands of people remained in shelters in both Nicaragua and Honduras.
Rains sent rivers overflowing, destroying roads and bridges and keeping five provinces in northern Honduras isolated, said Jose Molina, a civil defense spokesman.
The rains blocked efforts to send boats and airplanes loaded with food, blankets and medical help to the battered region, with rains expected to continue the next couple of days, Molina said.
"There could be many Hondurans who are cold and hungry, and due to the weather we can't get them help," said President Ricardo Maduro.
In Nicaragua, at least 40 communities near the border with Honduras were still flooded and isolated Wednesday, said Gustavo Ramos, a regional civil defense director.
At least 5,000 people were taken to shelters and they are demanding food and medicine, Ramos said.
Nicaraguan officials estimate about 7,000 people were affected by Hurricane Beta, many left without a home.
In the city of Laguna de Perlas, about 190 miles east of the capital, Managua, all crops were destroyed and food for 17 communities could run out in the next two weeks, according to a report by Nicaragua's Civil Defense Department.
AP correspondents Filadelfo Aleman from Managua, Nicaragua, contributed to this report. |
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News from Around the Americas | November 2005 
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