Hurricane Eta
Hurricane Eta had life-changing effects on Honduras, largely due to flooding. Flooding caused 559 residents to get out oftheir homes and two others had to be rescued. At least 457 homes were damaged by floodwaters, 41 communities were cut off by washed-out roads, and at least nine bridges were destroyed including one in La Ceiba. In La Ceiba, floodwaters rushed through streets, and the flooding also washed away a structure at a local cemetery. A ferry leaving Roatán was rocked by large waves and winds with 300 passengers onboard while trying to reach the port of La Ceiba. Nobody was injured on the ferry. The Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras said that 14 roads and 339 homes were destroyed. In Olanchito, 12 people, including two newborns, were trapped. A wall collapsed at a prison in El Progreso letting in waist-deep floodwaters, causing the evacuation of more than 600 inmates. At least 74 people have been killed across Honduras as a result of Eta, mainly due to landslides and drownings. Among the dead were at least four people, including three children, who were killed in the mountains outside the north coast city of Tela due to different landslides. In Santa Barbara, a 2-year-old girl was killed when she and her mother were swept away by floodwaters; the mother survived. Four members of the same family died in the municipality of Gualala due to heavy rains. A 13-year-old girl was killed when mud and rain caused her home to collapse in the village of Carmen. In Sulaco, a 15-year-old boy drowned while trying to cross a river that was full due to rain. A 37-year-old man also drowned in San Manuel, in the western part of the Lempira Department. Total economic losses in Honduras are estimated to be over 125 billion lempiras (US$5 billion).