Hurricane Richard slammed into Belize Sunday night, cutting off all power in the country, Belizean.com reported.
Three thousand residents and tourists were holed up in shelters across the country as the Category 1 storm downed trees and power lines, destroyed houses and closed highways and roads, Belizean said, adding, "All of Belize is without power."
The eye of the storm passed through central Belize at about 10 p.m. CDT with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in an advisory.
Richard was moving west-northwest at 9 mph and was forecast to reach northern Guatemala early Monday. Hurricane-force winds extended outward for 15 miles, with tropical storm-force winds extending 105 miles.
A storm surge of 3-5 feet along the Belize coast was expected to continue through Monday morning. Three to 6 inches of rain was forecast for Belize and parts of Guatemala and Mexico, with maximum storm totals approaching 10 inches. Mudslides and flash floods could accompany such totals, especially in the mountains, the center said.
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