SPRINGFIELD, MO Hurricane Eta strengthened to a Category 4 on Monday with sustained winds of 145 miles per hour — just barely shy of a Category 5 storm — and is expected to make landfall today. The National Hurricane Center warned that Eta will bring catastrophic winds, a storm surge, and flooding to both Nicaragua and Honduras. Once the storm makes landfall, Eta is expected to linger over the area with severe rain — causing flash floods and possible landslides. Some reports call for up to 25 inches of rain in these regions. Eta is the strongest November hurricane to strike the Atlantic in over 10 years.
Guillermo González, director of Nicaragua's emergency management agency, reported that as the storm inched closer, Eta's high winds began uprooting trees, knocking over poles and power lines, and ripping the roofs off of homes. Rivers in the area have already begun to rise.
Convoy of Hope staff in both Nicaragua and Honduras are on standby and are ready to respond. Our teams have pre-staged more than 77,000 meals of rice and soy to be used in relief efforts after the storm hits. You can follow our response at convoyofhope.org.