This may be the worst hurricane since Mitch in Nicaragua 0:42
(CNN) -
Hurricane Eta struck northeast Nicaragua after making landfall Tuesday afternoon, bringing what could be days of catastrophic flooding in parts of Central America, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. in English).
The "extremely dangerous" hurricane made landfall just south of the city of Puerto Cabezas, on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, with "life-threatening storm surges, catastrophic winds and flash floods occurring in parts of Central America," the NHC said in an advisory. .
The cyclone had maximum sustained winds of about 225 km / h upon landfall, the NHC said.
Hours later it had weakened two degrees to a category 2 hurricane, with winds of 177 km / h.
Strong winds blow in Tela, Honduras, on Tuesday.
The storm ripped roofs off houses, downed trees and power lines and is causing flooding in Puerto Cabezas, a city in one of Nicaragua's poorest regions, Reuters reported.
The media outlet quoted Guillermo González, head of the national disaster management agency.
«We are very afraid.
There are fallen poles, floods, roofs torn off, "said Carmen Enriquez, a resident of Puerto Cabezas, according to Reuters.
advertising
A local priest told Reuters earlier that the city had no electricity and the government shelters were full.
To the north, houses were also flooded in Lancetilla, Honduras, amid heavy rains, images distributed by Getty Images show.
Honduras prohibits driving on highways due to hurricane Eta 2:17
Half a million children among possible affected by Eta
Rivers were overflowing, cities and towns were flooded, and landslides littered the roads of Honduras, Reuters reported.
A hurricane warning was in effect for an approximately 240 km stretch of the Nicaraguan coast, from the Honduran-Nicaraguan border in the south to Sandy Bay Sirpi on the east-central Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.
A dangerous storm surge of up to 6.5 meters above normal tide could also affect parts of Nicaragua, the poorest nation in Central America, the NHC said.
The cyclone could generate life-threatening conditions in Nicaragua and other Central American nations for days, including nearly a meter of rain in isolated parts of Nicaragua and Honduras this week, the NHC said.
"This rain will lead to catastrophic and life-threatening flash floods and river flooding, as well as landslides in areas of the highest elevation in Central America," the NHC said.
Nearly half a million children are among the more than 1.2 million people who could be affected by the storm, according to UNICEF, which launched emergency supplies and developed a plan to respond to the needs of children and families. , according to a statement from the agency.
Women walk alongside fallen trees Tuesday morning in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.
Eta's forecast
Eta is expected to weaken further Tuesday night, but the rain will continue for the next few days.
The current forecast shows the cyclone snaking through the mountains of Nicaragua and Honduras before heading north towards Belize as a depression on Friday.
The precise trajectory and intensity of the system remain uncertain after that.
Eta is expected to move over the Caribbean later in the week.
It could be over Cuba on Sunday and then threaten South Florida, the NHC said.
Honduras is no longer under a hurricane warning, but remains under a tropical storm warning, the NHC said.
The storm has the potential to be one of the worst flood events Nicaragua has recorded since Hurricane Mitch in 1998. It killed more than 10,000 people.
Torrential rains expected in Central America
In Honduras, residents of Bordo del Lancetilla repair their homes Tuesday after the Lancetilla River overflowed during heavy rains from Hurricane Eta.
Torrential rains and the resulting flooding and landslides are expected to be among the main threats.
The threat of wind and storm surge should subside through Tuesday, but the rain will last well into the week.
Rain forecasts through Sunday morning, according to the NHC:
Much of Nicaragua and Honduras:
generally 38 - 63.5 centimeters, with isolated amounts up to 89 centimeters.
Eastern Guatemala and Belize:
generally 25.5 to 51 centimeters, with isolated amounts up to 63.5 centimeters.
Parts of Panama and Costa Rica:
generally 25.5 to 38 centimeters, with isolated amounts up to 63.5 centimeters.
El Salvador and southeastern Mexico:
generally 13 to 25.5 centimeters, with isolated amounts up to 38 centimeters.
Jamaica, southern Haiti, and the Cayman Islands:
generally an additional 7.5 to 13 centimeters, with total isolated storms greater than 38 centimeters.
The storm, whose sustained wind speeds more than doubled over the Caribbean from Sunday night to Monday night, is the latest in an active hurricane season in the Atlantic.
As the 28th named storm in the Atlantic this season, it ties the record for the number of named storms in a single season dating back to 2005.
CNN's Brandon Miller, Madeline Holcombe, Michael Guy, Taylor Ward and Tyler Mauldin contributed to this report.
Central America Hurricane Eta Nicaragua