Hurricane Lisa makes landfall in Belize in Central America

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Jan 27, 2023

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Lisa made landfall Wednesday near Belize City in the Central American country of Belize and moved inland.

The US National Hurricane Center said Lisa had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) on landing. On Wednesday evening, the center of the storm was about 30 kilometers west of Belize City and was moving west at 19 km/h.

Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization said the storm made landfall between the resort town of Dangriga and Belize City.

“Everyone at home or in shelters should stay put until the state of emergency is lifted,” the national emergency management organization said in a statement. “We have not been able to send teams to assess the damage or register the dangerous areas. Please stay where you are and please be patient.

Einer Gomez, deputy manager of Ramon’s Village Resort in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, just off the coast of Belize, said light rain had started to fall and there was a storm surge.

“All guests who are in beachfront units have been relocated” to rooms with less exposure, and beach furniture has been secured, Gomez said. “Everyone is just waiting for it to pass too.”

Lisa was expected to cross Belize into northern Guatemala and then move into southeastern Mexico by Thursday.

The hurricane center warned of the danger of flooding and mudslides from heavy rains. He said the storm could drop 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain over Belize, the Bay Islands, northern Guatemala, the eastern part of the Mexican state of Chiapas and the state Tabasco Mexican.

A hurricane warning has been issued for the island of Roatan and the other islands in the Bay of Honduras as well as for the northern coast of Belize and the southern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Puerto Costa Maya.

Lisa could re-emerge in the Gulf of Mexico, but as a tropical depression.

Far out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Martin reached hurricane strength on Wednesday, but forecasters said it posed no immediate threat to land.

Martin had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h). It was centered about 720 miles (1,160 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, and was moving east-northeast at 31 mph (50 km/h).