Shortly after, English, French and Dutch pirates settled on Guanaja and neighboring islands to raid passing Spanish treasure-laden vessels. After independence, Honduras largely forgot about the islands. Britain annexed them in the 1800s, but under U.S. pressure gave them back to Honduras. We've never been a government-dependent people,'' the mayor said. Most of Guanaja remains without electricity.
Some people use generators.
Others do without. The island's two fish packing plants, which support the island's main industry, are damaged. Its two main resorts, Bayman Bay and Posada del Sol, are closed. Many worry about forest fires because there is so much debris on the ground at the start of the dry season. The storm left fishing boats strewn on the beach and shells and chunks of reef littering the towns.