Hurricane Keith

Hurricane Keith was a powerful tropical cyclone that formed in September 2000. It was the fifteenth tropical cyclone, eleventh named storm, and seventh hurricane of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm caused extensive damage in Central America, especially in Mexico and Belize.

Keith developed from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on September 28. It gradually strengthened, becoming Tropical Storm Keith on September 29, and then a hurricane on September 30. The storm reached its peak as a Category 4 hurricane before weakening due to land interaction near Belize.

The hurricane brought heavy rainfall to several countries, resulting in extensive flooding. In Belize, many homes were destroyed or damaged, and at least 19 people were killed. In Mexico, flooding caused mudslides and damaged hundreds of houses. Overall, Hurricane Keith was responsible for 68 deaths and caused about $319 million in damage.

Meteorological history

On September 16, 2000, a tropical wave left the west coast of Africa and moved westward across the Atlantic Ocean. It crossed the Caribbean Sea and began to organize on September 27. The next day, it became a tropical depression, and was named Tropical Storm Keith later that day.

Keith quickly grew stronger, becoming a hurricane on September 30. It reached its peak strength on October 1 with winds of 140 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane. Keith moved slowly near Belize before weakening and moving over the Yucatán Peninsula. It regained some strength in the Bay of Campeche before making its final landfall near Tampico, Mexico, and dissipating on October 6.

Preparations

When Hurricane Keith formed, warnings were issued for the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, from Chetumal to Cabo Catoche. As the storm grew stronger, these warnings were updated, and new warnings were added for the coast of Belize. The government of Belize declared an emergency and prepared its defence forces. Airports closed, and thousands of people were moved to safe shelters.

In Quintana Roo, many people were evacuated to shelters. Some fishermen chose to stay on a coral reef during the storm. In Mexico, ports closed, schools shut down, and more people moved to safety as the storm moved closer.

Impact

Hurricane Keith moved slowly and unpredictably, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to Central America. Belize felt the worst of the storm, with about $280 million in damage and 19 deaths mostly from flooding. Other countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua also reported serious but less severe flooding. In total, Keith caused 40 deaths and about $319 million in damage.

Belize

Even though Keith stayed away from the coast, winds blew water out of the Bay of Chetumal. At Caye Caulker, the hurricane created a 4-foot storm surge. Winds were estimated to reach up to 125 mph on offshore islands, and gusts on the mainland reached 61 mph at Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport. Because Keith moved slowly, it dropped a lot of rain, with over 10 inches in many areas. The most rain, 32.67 inches, fell at the international airport in Belize City.

Strong winds destroyed 130 houses in Belize. Two hotel roofs were damaged, and trees and power lines came down. Many areas lost power and telephone service, including Belize City. Heavy rain flooded streets there, reaching 3 feet deep. Twenty homes were damaged in the capital, and many more had minor roof damage. The rain also flooded the first floor of the main hospital, causing serious damage. Nationwide, 11 health facilities were damaged. Rivers, including the Belize River, Rio Hondo, and New River, rose very high due to the rain. Flooding covered highways and a main bridge, and water stayed high for days because the land was low and drainage was poor. Floods ruined water supplies in the northern districts, causing health problems.

Damage was worst on offshore islands and in northern mainland areas. On the islands, trees and power lines blocked roads. In Caye Caulker and San Pedro, about 90% of houses lost their roofs, and 676 houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving 3,279 people without homes. About 50% of houses in Caye Caulker were destroyed, and in San Pedro, about 30% of houses were wrecked. On Ambergris Caye, four airplanes were destroyed. At Turneffe Atoll, about 35% of the land was affected, with many trees uprooted.

Five people died in accidents involving boats. There was also an accident with a bus carrying people leaving the area, killing four people. Three people died on Ambergris Caye. In total, 19 people died in Belize. Many people were hurt by flying debris, mainly in San Pedro, and 142 people were injured overall. About 3,279 homes were damaged or destroyed. The damage was first estimated at $200 million, about half from tourism, with the rest from crops and infrastructure. Later, the total damage was estimated at $280 million, mostly on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker.

Mexico

Hurricane Keith caused damage in three Mexican states: Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula, Tamaulipas where the hurricane came ashore, and Sonora farther inland. In Quintana Roo, Keith caused $2.7 million in damage and an additional $39.7 million in indirect costs. While crossing the Yucatán Peninsula, Keith dropped heavy rain, including over 10 inches in Campeche state. Chetumal, Quintana Roo, reported 9.65 inches of rain.

When Keith came ashore near Tampico, it reported tropical storm-force winds with gusts up to 63 mph. The winds damaged billboards and trees in the city and knocked down trees and power lines along the coast. About 200,000 people in northeastern Mexico lost power, and 100,000 people were left without water. About 400 houses were damaged in Veracruz, and many roads and bridges were destroyed. Heavy rain fell in northeastern Mexico’s interior, with a maximum of 24.55 inches in González, Tamaulipas. In Gómez Farías, a rain station recorded 13.24 inches of rain in one day and 18.44 inches for the entire storm, breaking the record for that location. This rain caused rivers to reach record levels. The Sabinas River rose nearly 36 feet, and the Guayalejo River rose almost 24 feet. This rainfall caused the Las Ánimas dam to hold a lot of water, but some had to be released because the dam was damaged by debris.

In Nuevo León, the remains of Keith combined with a cold front to bring heavy rain, reaching 14.43 inches in Sabinas. The average rain in the state was 5 inches, causing mudslides in several cities, including San Pedro, Guadalupe, and Escobedo. Heavy rain also caused flash floods in areas near Monterrey, creating fast-moving river currents that reached up to 9,000 cubic feet per second, but all 130 people dragged into rivers were rescued. The rivers also carried away 30 vehicles. The rain caused the El Cuchillo dam to receive a large amount of water daily, and the La Boca dam received a large amount per hour. About 13,000 people lost power. About 5,000 people had to leave their homes in several areas of the state, including 2,465 from Monterrey and 1,900 from rural areas, at a cost of $400,000. The total damage in the state reached $115.6 million, with most of it from fixing urban infrastructure, especially in San Pedro Garza García. About 460 homes were damaged or destroyed, and 300 families had to move to safer places.

In other states, damage was lighter but still noticeable. In Sonora, total damage reached $64.4 million. In Chiapas, $25.6 million in property damage occurred. This brought the total damage in Mexico to $365.9 million. In Tabasco, flooding damaged 7,896 houses. About 24,000 people in the state were affected by flooding. In the capital city of Villahermosa, rivers overflowed and flooded some streets, but dikes and sandbags stopped more flooding. Overall, about 46,000 people in Mexico had to leave their homes because of the storm and flooding. There was one death when a man in Tampico was electrocuted by a fallen power line. In Xicoténcatl, Tamaulipas, a swollen river killed a family of six when their house flooded. Overall, Keith caused 23 deaths in Mexico – 13 in Veracruz, 4 in Puebla, and 6 in Tamaulipas. There were six additional deaths when a plane crashed while trying to land in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

Elsewhere

The outer edges of Keith brought occasional rain to several parts of Cuba, but the amounts were very small. While Keith was forming, it pulled moisture from the eastern Pacific Ocean across Central America, causing heavy rain. In Guatemala, the rain caused flooding in ten towns and covered about 500 farms in the Melchor de Mencos area with about 4 inches of water. One death was reported. The governor of Petén Department said that many communities were cut off by flooded rivers. In El Salvador, a 20-year-old man drowned in a river, and 200 families had to leave after several houses were damaged or destroyed. Rain in Honduras forced over 200 families to leave their homes. One person died when a wall collapsed, and there were five more deaths when an airplane disappeared near Roatan Island. A bridge on the Pan-American Highway between Honduras and Nicaragua was destroyed, which had been rebuilt after Hurricane Mitch. Additionally, a government agency reported that up to 80,000 people in southern Honduras were isolated.

In Nicaragua, floods from the storm forced 3,962 people to leave their homes for 57 shelters, many of which were schools. Floods affected 11 of the 17 departments of Nicaragua, and the waters began to go down on October 5 as Keith moved away. The floods caused landslides and covered roads, isolating communities. Keith damaged 436 houses in the country and destroyed another 160. There were 12 deaths due to the storm in Nicaragua, including a boy who was swept away by a fast-moving flooded river northeast of Managua, and a man who drowned in Lake Managua. A man in the western part of the country died after stepping on a power line that had fallen due to strong winds. Fifty communities were isolated, with at least thirteen of them because roads were impassable. Several neighborhoods in Corinto flooded, forcing the Civil Defense to evacuate 9 families. One house collapsed in Los Ángeles, but its ten people inside were safe. After rain fell in Villanueva, Chinandega, for six days, flooding forced 300 families to leave, and there were big losses to corn, beans, and plantains crops. An additional 20 families left their homes because of flooding in Poneloya. About 15 families in the port city of Puerto Sandino were evacuated after the El Contrabando river overflowed. Another 18 homes were flooded in the Salinas Grandes area. About 52 people left Troilo after at least 11 homes were flooded.

Aftermath

See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricane names

After Hurricane Keith, leaders in Belize asked the world for help with food and money. The United Nations gave money to help Belize, and groups like the Red Cross and the United States Navy brought supplies to families in need. Many people worked together to send food, water, and other important items to those who were affected.

Officials in Belize set up rules to keep things safe and to help clean up after the storm. They sent planes with emergency supplies to islands that were hard to reach. Workers fixed roads, restored power, and got airports running again quickly. Even though the storm caused a lot of damage, people helped each other to recover. Because Hurricane Keith was so powerful, its name was retired and will not be used again for future storms.