Hurricane Iota brings catastrophic winds and likely life-threatening flooding just miles from where Eta made landfall

The storm reached Category 5 strength and made landfall near the town of Haulover, Nicaragua, at 10:40 p.m. EST as a Category 4, with maximum sustained winds near 155 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It has since weakened to winds near 105 mph.

Heavy rainfall from the storm has pushed in, with Honduras and Nicaragua expecting maximum totals of 30 inches of rain through Thursday, while El Salvador to Panama can expect 6 to 10, with isolated maximums of 15 inches. River and flash flooding may soon follow, along with dangerous storm surge that is likely to bring water levels up by as much as 10 to 15 feet, the National Hurricane Center said in a 1 a.m. alert.

Hurricane warnings are in effect for the coast of Nicaragua from its border with Honduras to Sandy Bay Sirpi, as well as the coast of northeastern Honduras, the NHC said. Tropical storm warnings are also in place for Providencia, San Andreas and Bay Islands.

Though the storm struck Central America with devastating impact, it is expected to weaken after landfall and then dissipate over the region by Wednesday night.

Colombian Islands feel the first impacts

San Andres and Providencia have been part of Colombia for centuries but are geographically closer to Central America than to the Colombian mainland.

At least one person is dead on Providencia and 90% of the island’s infrastructure has been affected by Iota, Duque said Monday. The local airport is also unusable because of debris.

“It’s the first time that a Category 5 Hurricane has reached our territory since records began,” Duque said during a national news conference from the Colombian capital of Bogota. “We are facing an issue with characteristics never before witnessed by our country.”

A Navy boat was scheduled to depart Cartagena on Monday night on its way to Providencia with supplies, Duque said.

Central America still recovering from Eta

More than 3.6 million people across Central America have been affected by the storm to varying degrees, the Red Cross said earlier this week.

While the full extent of the damage from Eta won’t be known for a while, the powerful storm, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, may have effects that last for years.

The storm hovered for days over Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, with heavy rains creating flooding and landslides that wiped entire communities off the map.

Dozens of people in the remote Guatemalan village of San Cristobal remain missing after a landslide swept through last week, leaving mud 50 feet deep in some places.