Hurricane Ida rips into Nicaragua coast
Friday, November 6th, 2009 817 views
Ida, clocking 75 mph (125 kph) winds, struck land around sunrise in Tasbapauni, about 60 miles northeast of Bluefields, said meteorologist Dennis Feltgen of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
About 80 percent of homes were destroyed in nearby Karawala, a fishing village of about 100 flimsy, wooden shacks near the mouth of the Rio Grande de Matagalpa, said Nicaragua’s National Civil Defense director, Mario Perez.
Nicaraguan TV station Canal 63 showed images of corrugated metal roofs and electrical lines flying through the air, and coconut palms bent over by the howling winds.
“There was major damage in the region’s infrastructure, such as fallen bridges, damaged schools and government buildings, and electrical transmission towers and telephone service were knocked out,” Perez said.
No deaths or injuries have been reported, but Perez said officials are still trying to get information from the region.
The fast-developing grew from a tropical depression into a hurricane within little more than a day, then lost power as it stalled over eastern Nicaragua, with winds slowing to 65 mph (100 kph).
Ida could dump as much as 20 inches (500 millimeters) of rain on the swampy mainland, with the risk of flash floods and mudslides, according to the Miami-based center.
