Mitch, like Gilbert, hit the Caribbean. Its winds were slightly slower than Gilbert's at roughly 179 m.p.h., but the storm's toll was far worst as it slammed into the east coast of Central America, particularly Nicaragua and Honduras. Flash floods claimed thousands of lives, and in Honduras, about 50 percent of national crops were lost. At least 10,000 people were killed. The National Weather Services writes: "Though the final death toll will never be known, it is quite likely that Mitch directly killed more people than any Atlantic hurricane in over 200 years. More than three million people were either homeless or severely affected."
NOAA.gov
