Throngs pack Belize shelters as Hurricane Richard strikes

BELIZE CITY, Belize - Hurricane Richard slammed into Belize's Caribbean coast just south of its largest city late Sunday, as authorities evacuated tourists from outlying islands and an estimated 10,000 people took refuge at shelters in the tiny Central American nation.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Richard's top winds were 90 m.p.h. - making it a Category 1 hurricane - when it made landfall about 20 miles south-southwest of Belize City, whose neighborhoods are full of wooden, tin-roof homes that are highly vulnerable to winds.

"The winds are very strong. . . . It's getting stronger," said Fanny Llanos, a clerk at the Lazy Iguana bed-and-breakfast on Caye Caulker, a low-lying island known for its coral reefs and crystal-clear waters.

"All the windows are boarded, and this is a strong house, so we will be here," she said, "but we are still afraid."

Richard was moving west-northwest about 10 m.p.h., and hurricane-force winds extended up to 15 miles from its center.

Belize City was devastated by Hurricane Hattie in 1961, prompting officials to move the capital inland to Belmopan. But Belize City is still the nation's largest population center, with about 100,000 inhabitants - a third of the country's population.

Officials estimated that 10,000 people had taken refuge at storm shelters in schools and churches farther inland, including many in the capital.

Tourists had already been evacuated from Caye Caulker and nearby Ambergis Caye, but some residents decided to ride out the storm.

Earlier, Richard dumped heavy rains on Honduras' Caribbean coast and the Bay Islands, including Roatan, which is popular with tourists and divers.

Mexico issued a hurricane watch for its southern Caribbean coast. While Richard is expected to cross over the Yucatan Peninsula and reemerge in the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said it was likely to weaken and dissipate over the gulf waters.