The ruinous track of Hurricane Georges, September 20-26, and the even more devastating path of Hurricane Mitch, October 23 - November 3, 1998. A category 3 hurricane when it hit the Dominican Republic, Georges caused extensive damage as it moved slowly over some of the most populated and productive regions of the country. When Mitch struck Honduras the following month, it was a category 5 (the most intense on the hurricane scale). Though Mitch lost strength inland, its heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides while it was stalled over Central America.