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Hurricane & cyclone

Hurricane Mitch

26 October – 4 November 1998 Honduras and Nicaragua · Central America

Hurricane Mitch
Image: NASA, NOAA · Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
11,000Deaths
2.7MDisplaced / homeless
$6bnEstimated cost

The hurricane stalls for several days over Central America and dumps torrential rain, up to 1,900 mm in places. Floods and landslides sweep away villages and roads.

Consequences

Human consequences

About 2.7 million people left homeless across the region.

Environmental consequences

The collapse of the flank of Casita volcano triggers a mudflow that buries two villages in Nicaragua.

Economic consequences

In Honduras, about 70% of crops are destroyed.

Political consequences

The Honduran president says Mitch set his country back 50 years; international creditors ease the region’s debt.

Track

Further reading

Similar disasters

In the rankings : The deadliest hurricanes and cyclones No. 4

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