November 3, 2005. 0230z.
"Beta" still lingers over Central America.
It remains unsensationalized fear in the American News media because after all who cares about Central America.
MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- Thousands of people remained in shelters in Nicaragua and Honduras yesterday after hurricane Beta swept across the Central American countries, flooding rivers, downing trees and destroying houses, churches, medical centres and schools.
The remnants of Beta drifted over the eastern Pacific yesterday, and forecasters said there was a slight chance the storm could reform over the ocean.
Packing winds up to 170 kmh, Beta dumped as much as 38 centimetres of rain in Nicaragua and neighbouring Honduras, where its outer bands of rain caused four rivers to overflow, isolated communities and damaged crops.
The record 13th hurricane of this year's Atlantic storm season made landfall Sunday on Nicaragua's central coast, about 320 kilometres northeast of Managua, as a Category 2 hurricane before quickly weakening to a tropical storm and eventually becoming a tropical depression before beginning to dissipate.
Col. Mario Perez Cassar, Nicaragua's civil defence chief, said 80% of the buildings on the central coast were heavily damaged or destroyed.
"But miraculously, only four people were reported missing and only one was injured," Perez said.
No serious injuries or deaths were reported in Honduras.
