The Effects of Hurricane Mitch The 20th century brought natural disasters that impacted both the social and economic aspects of life. Hurricane Mitch was one of the largest disasters of its time. The conditions that Hurricane Mitch left in Honduras and Nicaragua have severely affected the economies of these countries. The hurricane brought devastation and economic hardship to the populations of Central American countries. The conditions caused by the hurricane were severe. It all began on the morning of October 20, 1998. Satellite images showed that clusters of unorganized thunderstorms were forming over the southern Caribbean and northern Venezuela. On October 22 the clusters were confined to a tropical depression. Tropical Storm Mitch had appeared before the end of the day. The storm continued to reach its height on the 23rd and 24th, but on the 25th there was a sudden change; Mitch's core blood pressure dropped from 1.77 inches to 26.73 inches within 34 hours. As Graph B illustrates, Hurricane Mitch tied Hurricane Camille (1969) for the fourth lowest pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane. Hurricane Mitch was named a Category 5 hurricane for maintaining its low pressure for a duration of 33 hours compared to the 24-hour duration of Hurricane Camille (1969) and Hurricane Allen (1980). Mitch traveled along the northern coast of Honduras for two days. Mitch wandered the mountains of Honduras and kept dumping extreme amounts of rain,” say Mace Bentley and Steve Horstmeyer in “Monstrous Mitch.” “According to the NationalClimatic Data Center, the estimated maximum total amount of precipitation over Honduras and Nicaragua ranged from 50 to 75 inches – and in one report an incredible 25 inches fell in six hours!” as stated in "MonstrousMitch". To make the situation even worse, mudslides and landslides occurred due to the steep terrain in both Nicaragua and Honduras. A mudslide in northwest Nicaragua traveled 13 miles and dominated 10 communities. The death toll in this area was expected to reach 2,000. Many Central American countries were finally resuming their activities.