Please pass on all this information to the world, and incude this in our internet edition. Special Update on Hurricane Mitch Tropical Depression Mitch continues to batter Honduras Ham radio operators keep communications open, relief operations begin Even though Hurricane Mitch has been downgraded and international news agencies are losing interest, it is still causing major damage to nearly the entire country as the storm refuses to move away. Weather Channel updates now say the storm has weakened into a tropical depression and is now centered 25 miles south of Santa Rosa de Copan. The storm's path took it near the capital city of Tegucigalpa where it is still wreaking havoc as it picks up moisture from the Pacific and dumps it in central and southern Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Reuters reports that the storm continues to pour 25 inches a day on coastal areas of Nicaragua and Honduras.
Accounts vary as to the number killed.
This Week Direct is a FREE service provided to our readers who use the Netscape email program or any other email program that supports html email. At least 23 people have been killed and 20 more are reportedly missing, while upwards of 70,000 people have been evacuated and as many as 25,000 are homeless due to flooding. Several important bridges have been destroyed, including one that has temporarily cut off transit between San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. At the slow speed of 8 kilometers per hour, Mitch made its way toward the Bay Islands, first hitting Swan Island. The Honduran government sent hurricane alert messages averting larger disasters.