In 1998 a Hurricane Mitch slammed into the Nicaraguan Coastline causing massive damage, the day was October 29, 1998. Seven years ago today, scary. By Halloween in 1998 over 11,000 people had died from flooding and Mudslides. Today we see a lot of similarities to Hurricane Mitch and Hurricane Beta, as both storms had effects from Punta Patuca in Honduras to Bluefields in Nicaragua. This time authorities are talking no chances and have already evacuated 8,000 people living in the areas where the most deaths occurred in Nicaragua from Hurricane Mitch.

There are still four weeks left in Hurricane Season and Hurricane Beta is the thirteenth hurricane of the 2005 record-breaking Tropical Hurricane Season. So far this season almost all records have now been broken; Most named storms, most category five storms, and most hurricanes; and it is far from over still.

Although Hurricane Beta is moving very slow at only 5 miles per hour traveling West; the winds are at 90 miles per hour and climbing as the pressure in the center is dropping, now at 979. So it could make the next category by landfall, its eye is only 15-miles wide, but it is also attracting additional precipitation and energy from nearby stormy activity, meaning it will bring that energy and rain bands ashore also. Some are already predicting a weeks worth of torrential rain and up to 21 inches, meaning it will flood and cause massive mudslides.

The storm will be further slowed by the tall mountainous terrain causing the energy to linger, as it dissipates, meaning much of the rain will wash into the valleys and flood the low lying areas. Think on this.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/