User:HurricaneTracker495/Effects of Hurricane Eta in Honduras

The effects of Hurricane Eta in Honduras were devastating despite Eta being weak at the time it arrived to Honduras. The rain from Eta caused widespread flooding and mudslides, killing 74 people and causing an economic loss of $125 billion lempiras ($5 billion USD). It was the twnety-ninth tropical cyclone, twenty-eighth named storm, twelfth hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.

Background
At 15:00 UTC on October 28, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began monitoring the Southwestern Caribbean for the expected development of a broad area of low pressure within the following few days. By 21:00 UTC on October 31, the NHC began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Twenty-Nine. At 03:00 UTC on November 1, the system intensified into Tropical Storm Eta. Eta began to explosively intensify, reaching hurricane status at 09:00 UTC on November 2. Eta then reached Category 3 status at 18:00 UTC before becoming a Category 4 hurricane three hours later. Eta rapidly intensified to a high-end Category 4 hurricane with peak winds of 150 mph and a lowest recorded pressure of 923 mbar (hPa; 27.26 inHg) at 06:00 UTC. Despite remaining in a favorable environment, Eta began to weaken six hours after its peak intensity due to an eyewall replacement cycle, which it completed just as it made landfall at 21:00 UTC south of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, with winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) and a pressure of 940 mbar (hPa; 27.76 inHg). The storm fell below major hurricane status due to land interaction just three hours after landfall at 00:00 UTC on November 4. Eta continued weaken rapidly, dropping to tropical storm status at 09:00 UTC, and to a tropical depression at 00:00 UTC on November 5.

Preprations
A red alert was placed for Honduran departments of Gracias a Dios, Colón, Atlántida, Islas de la Bahía, and Olancho while a yellow alert was declared for Santa Bárbara, Francisco Morazán, Comayagua, El Paraíso, Yoro, and Cortés. A green alert was issued for Copán, Ocotepeque, Lempira, Intibucá, La Paz, Valle, and Choluteca. The Honduran Air Force prepared two planes to send 4,000 pounds of food to La Mosquitia, Gracias a Dios. The National Police of Honduras was tasked to advise passengers of roadways blocked by a landslide or flooding. More than 20,000 pounds of food were stored at the Offices of Risk Management and National Contingencies in San Pedro Sula, ahead of the storm. In response to Hurricane Eta, in order to limit movements and protect human lives, the Honduran government canceled the Morazanico national holiday.

Impact
Flooding caused 559 residents to flee their 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 or killed on the ferry. The Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras reported 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 63 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 a mudslide caused her home to collapse in the village of Carmen. In Sulaco, a 15-year-old boy drowned while trying to cross a rain-swollen river. A 37-year-old man also drowned in San Manuel, in western Lempira department.

Total economic losses in Honduras are estimated in excess of 125 billion lempiras (US$5 billion).

Aftermath
With extensive damage across the country, Honduras's Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Services and Institute for Community Development and Water and Sanitation divided relief operations into three zones. The Government of Honduras allocated US$2 million in funds and formally appealed for international aid on November 5. By November 7, more than 16,000 people had been rescued while 65,912 people remained isolated across 64 communities. The IFRC expressed concern over an increase in post-traumatic stress disorder, similar to what took place after Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Access to clean water was significantly disrupted due to high turbidity and power outages, though 60% of service was restored by November 7.

A member of Restoring Family Links was dispatched to Honduras for administrative assistance.