Hurricane Mitch formed in the western Caribbean sea in late October 1998, strengthening to a category five hurricane and becoming the strongest of that year's Atlantic hurricane season. It caused widespread destruction across Central America, killing over 11,000 people through flooding and mudslides as it tore through Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras in particular. The hurricane severely damaged infrastructure like bridges and roads, destroyed homes and farmland, and its aftermath led to diseases spreading as it left many countries in Central America devastated and their development slowed.

1. Hurricane Mitch. By Emma Warburton.

2. Hurricane Mitch formed in the western Caribbean sea on the 22 nd of October and it strengthened to a peak of a category five hurricane. It was the strongest of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season.

3. Facts and figures. Mitch was a very powerful hurricane, with wind speeds reaching up to 180mph The storm was the ninth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed in the western Caribbean sea on October 22. 11000 people were confirmed as dead mostly due to floods and mudslides. The total damage amounted to $5 billion. The Path Of Destruction. Hurricane Mitch tore across Central America, but the brunt of the storm was faced by Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras. It also effected Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador with heavy precipitation and wind speeds up to 180mph, causing dangerous mudslides and flash flooding causing most of the eleven thousand deaths reported.

4. The Effects of Hurricane Mitch. There were11,000 fatalities There were floods and huge mudslides caused by the massive amount of rainfall. In Cholutecha over 46cm of rain fell in one day 170 bridges were destroyed and 70% of roads were impacted in Honduras Thousands of people lost their homes Diseases spread throughout Central America, including cholera, leptospirosis and dengue fever. Local reefs were damaged and fresh water was polluted.

5. Effects cont. Many people went missing. In Honduras 90%of the banana crop was destroyed.

6. Hurricane Mitch effected the many countries it devastated in numerous ways. For example in Honduras, the most devastated country, thousands of people were left homeless as a result of floods and mudslides. This effects the development of the country because firstly the government needs to find sanctuary for the thousands effected, and there will be a huge cost to re-build and re-enforce new buildings and houses, slowing the rate of development.

7. Many hospitals will have to be re-built meaning the medical services needed to help those injured in the disaster will simply not be available, so there will be more deaths, and less people to work, meaning less money going into the economy. Also, the economy in Honduras is mostly based on agriculture and after hurricane Mitch, farmland was destroyed and so little crops were being produced. This effected the trade of the country, bringing even less money into the economy.

8. Being effected by a natural disaster and also being an LEDC makes it very difficult to recover from such a disaster because the economy is already in enough trouble trying to develop, and cannot continue to develop when trying to rebuild society, when it does not have the money to do so. The economy collapses because of unemployment, a lack of trade, a bad standard of education, health services and sanitation. Bad standards of heath and sanitation can cause disease, therefore contributing to the need for heath services. These factors all contribute to the need for money, which is essencial for development.

9. The End.