ARALI MELENDEZ | staff writer
WITH AP SOURCES

Hurricane Felix struck the coast of Nicaragua Tuesday Sept. 4 as a category 5 hurricane that left approximately 39 people killed and 70,000 people affected wto date, according to United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Felix attacked the coast at 4:45 a.m. local time in the area of Barra Sandy Bay on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua with winds of 260 km per hour. Nicaragua’s civil defense reported that 80 percent of telephone and electrical posts were down and many houses’ roofs were ripped off.

At least 300 people on the coast of Nicaragua have been cut off from the rest of the country by Hurricane Felix. Mayor Manuel Sevilla of Bonanza, Nicaragua, asked the government to deliver aid by helicopter for those hurting from the hurricane. OCHA reported a total of 9,948 houses affected in the municipalities of the North Atlantic Autonomous Region; 7,948 houses were completely destroyed.

Citizens and hospital officials are gathering workers to aid amidst the devastation of the hurricane.

“The hurricane hit the coast Atlantic hard, and we are working to gather help for those affected,” resident of Managua, Nicaragua Janet Gonzalez said. “I am also part of a contact list with union workers for health at the hospital. Right now there are a lot of people volunteering in Nicaragua.”

Weather conditions were also affected throughout the regions surrounding Nicaragua. On Wednesday, Sept 5, OCHA reported the situation to be under control in Honduras when Hurricane Felix hit land again. The rain has continued to pour down in Honduras since its arrival, but no serious damages have been reported.

The Nicaraguan army stated on Wednesday, Sept 12 that at least 101 deaths have been reported due to Hurricane Felix. Unfortunately, authorities have not been tallying the number of people missing, making it hard to keep track of the people who have died. 21 bodies were found floating along Honduras’ coast on Tuesday, Sept. 11, one week after the hurricane hit. These bodies were reported to the government and were buried immediately in the town of Raya, Honduras although additional victims of the hurricane have been buried by relatives without government knowledge.

Hurricane Felix ruined remote jungle beaches and communities along the Honduras-Nicaragua coast, home to Miskito Indians. At least 35 Miskito Indians clung to wreckage in order to survive.

In the U.S, hurricane Humberto, known as the ‘Rain Maker,’ began to drench the Texas Coast Sept. 12.

“Humberto is primarily going to be a rain maker,” CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said.

The government activated 50 military vehicles to prepare for Humberto’s arrival. Utility workers are doing their best to restore power to areas affected by Hurricane Humberto where local water utility is currently still dependent on generators to maintain activity.

Hurricane specialists expect this year’s season to be above normal hurricane counts. While many throughout the world are grieving the hurricane destruction, others are preparing for the next hurricane so they may not suffer the same destruction that many have already encountered.