The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Remnants of Eta flood homes; death toll rises to at least 8
The rain- heavy remains of Hurricane Eta flooded homes in Honduras on Thursday as the death toll across Central America rose to at least eight. Forecasters said the once- mighty storm was expected to regather form and head toward Cuba and Florida by early next week.
The storm that hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday had become more of a vast tropical rainstorm, but it was advancing so slowly and dumping so much rain that much of Central America remained on high alert.
Eta had sustained winds of 30 mph and was moving west- northwest at 7 mph late Wednesday. It was centered 90 miles south of La Ceiba, Honduras.
Guatemala authorities reported four dead Thursday, adding to two victims in Honduras and two in Nicaragua.
Two children died when their home collapsed under heavy rains in the central Guatemala department of Quiche, according to a statement by local firefighters. A third person also died in Quiche, but details were not immediately available. President Alejandro Giammattei confirmed a fourth
death in a landslide in Chinautla north of the capital Wednesday night.
Authorities reported nearly 100 homes damaged by flooding and landslides in Guatemala.
Heavy rain was forecast to continue across Honduras through at least Thursday as Eta moves toward the northern city of San Pedro Sula.
Much of the town of Villanueva, just south of San Pedro Sula, was under floodwaters as Thursday dawned. The Ulua river overwhelmed its banks, but there were no immediate reports of deaths.
Dozens of residents of the San Pedro Sula neighborhood of Satelite had to abandon their homes at 4 a. m. Thursday when water from the Chamelecon river arrived at their doorsteps.
Honduran officials earlier reported that a 12- year- old girl died in a mudslide and a 15- yearold boy drowned trying to cross a rain- swollen river. Two other deaths were reported in Nicaragua.
Marvin Aparicio of Honduras’ emergency management agency said Wednesday that 457 homes had been damaged, mostly by floodwaters. There were 41 communities cut off by washed- out roads, and nine bridges in the country were wiped out by swollen rivers.