October 29, 2005 - 6:35 AM

Hurricane Beta belts Nicaragua

By Cyntia Barrera Diaz

PUERTO CABEZAS, Nicaragua (Reuters) - Hurricane Beta barrelled into Nicaragua's Caribbean coast on Sunday and once inland lost steam to be downgraded to a tropical storm but its torrential rains still threatened mudslides and floods.

After pinning thousands of people in flimsy shelters overnight, Beta churned over northern Nicaragua and dumped heavy rain over the Central American nation and neighbouring Honduras and El Salvador.

Packing winds of 65 mph 100 kph and higher gusts, emergency officials said no deaths were reported in Nicaragua, although the forecast downpour raised fears of flooding and lethal mudslides in mountain villages.

"We have not had reports of deaths, no people knocked about, nor injured," civil defence operations chief Samuel Perez said. "But we expect rivers to swell."

The whereabouts of one small boat with 10 people aboard was not known. The vessel left Puerto Cabezas on Saturday afternoon to evacuate isolated coastal fishermen but lost contact with military authorities.

In this normally sleepy fishing town in the remote jungle of northeast Nicaragua, residents and Miskito Indian evacuees from fishing villages had rushed into makeshift shelters but Beta caused little structural damage.

In neighbouring Honduras, communications went down as isolated coastal villages flooded, authorities said. About 8,000 were evacuated as rivers broke their banks. The government flew in food, water and blankets to the Caribbean region.

Both countries were ravaged in 1998 by Hurricane Mitch, whose heavy rains killed about 10,000 people across Central America. This month, Hurricane Stan killed up to 2,000 people in Central America, most of them Maya Indians in Guatemala whose homes were swallowed in landslides.

RECORD STORM SEASON

In the Honduran fishing town of Iriona, local residents climbed onto the roofs of their houses to avoid flood waters.

"About 80 percent of the town is flooded," said mayor Simeon Crisanto. "My own house of under water. The water is above my knees."

Beta is the 13th hurricane and 23rd named storm of the relentless, record-breaking Atlantic storm season.

Small fishing hamlets dot the isolated Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and Honduras, populated by Miskito Indians and the descendants of escaped African slaves.

At 4 p.m. EST (9 p.m. British time), Beta was south of Puerto Cabezas and 65 miles (100 km) northwest of Bluefields, Nicaragua's other Caribbean port, moving westward at 7 mph (11 kph).

The U.S. National Hurricane Centre said that 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) of rain would hit Nicaragua and eastern Honduras, with up to 25 inches (64 cm) possible in some spots.

"These rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides," the Miami-based centre said. It also forecast heavy rain in El Salvador and southern Honduras.

In Puerto Cabezas, eight families spent the night holed up in a small Baptist church, its windows protected from howling winds and torrential rain by wooden boards.

"We prayed," said Azucena Coulson, the wife of the pastor. "I was the one who was panicking, but I had to keep calm as the church leader."

Beta had ripped roofs off homes on Colombia's small Caribbean island of Providencia, which along with neighbouring San Andres was once a favoured hideaway of famous 17th century Welsh pirate Henry Morgan. No deaths were reported.

Last week, Hurricane Wilma wrecked Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts, flooding Cuba and pounding southern Florida.

(Additional reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa and Ivan Castro in Managua)