Hurricane Beta hit land on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast early today, its powerful winds and rains pinning thousands of people inside flimsy shelters and threatening mudslides.
Beta lost some punch before making landfall and a late turn to the south spared the port of Puerto Cabezas from a direct hit. Once overland, it lost further steam but was still a strong Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph (150 kph).
Emergency officials said no deaths were reported, although Beta was expected to cut straight across Nicaragua, raising fears of flooding and lethal mudslides in mountain villages.
"We have not had reports of deaths, no people knocked about, nor injured," said civil defense operations chief Samuel Perez. "But we expect rivers to swell."
The US National Hurricane Center warned rains of 10 to 15 inches would hit Nicaragua and eastern Honduras with isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches (64 cm) possible.
"Beta is expected to rapidly weaken during the day today," the Miami-based center said, with wind speed expected to fall. In Honduras, residents rushed to supermarkets to buy basics and long lines formed at gasoline stations. "Look at what happened with Mitch.
There were no roads left then and food didn't arrive," said Pablo Leiva, 52, as he stocked up on canned food, grains and oil at a supermarket in the capital Tegucigalpa. Beta earlier ripped roofs off homes on Colombia's small Caribbean island of Providencia, which along with neighboring San Andres was once a favored hideaway of famous 17th century Welsh pirate Henry Morgan.
No deaths were reported. Last week, Hurricane Wilma wrecked Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts, flooding Cuba and pounding southern Florida.