Hurricane Felix was an extremely powerful
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
which was the southernmost-landfalling Category 5 storm on record, surpassing
Hurricane Edith of
1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
. It was the sixth named
storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...
, second hurricane, and second
Category 5 hurricane of the
2007 Atlantic hurricane season. Felix formed from a
tropical wave on August 31, passing through the southern
Windward Islands
The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...
on September 1 before strengthening to attain hurricane status. On the next day, Felix rapidly strengthened into a major hurricane, and early on September 3 it was upgraded to Category 5 status; at 2100 UTC on the same day, the hurricane was downgraded to Category 4 status, but strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane for the second and final time by the morning of September 4.
On September 4, Felix made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
just south of the border between
Nicaragua
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
and
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
, causing at least 133 deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in damages in Central America. Because of its devastating impact on Central America, especially on Nicaragua, its name was retired after the 2007 season.
Meteorological history
A
tropical wave moved off the coast of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
on August 24, tracking westward at approximately with no associated deep
convection
Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
and a weak low-level inverted-V curvature.
Initially difficult to locate on
satellite
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
s,
the wave axis tracked through a moist environment
and developed an area of scattered thunderstorms. By August 25 visible satellite imagery indicated broad cyclonic turning just north of the
Intertropical Convergence Zone
The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...
.
The wave continued to develop moderate to strong convection, and on August 27 a 1012
mbar (
hPa
The pascal (symbol: Pa) is the unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI). It is also used to quantify internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus, and ultimate tensile strength. The unit, named after Blaise Pascal, is an S ...
; 29.88
inHg
Inch of mercury (inHg, ″Hg, or in) is a non- SI unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States.
It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury in h ...
)
low pressure area
In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...
developed about 830
mi (1,340
km) west-southwest of
Praia
Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.[Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...]
.
For the next several days the system failed to organize significantly;
however, on August 30 the wave became better defined with more representation of the cyclonic turning into the low.
Convection increased early the next day,
and a
Hurricane Hunters
Hurricane hunters, typhoon hunters, or cyclone hunters are aircrews that fly into tropical cyclones to gather weather data. In the United States, the organizations that fly these missions are the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather ...
flight into the system reported the presence of a closed low-level circulation; accordingly, the National Hurricane Center initiated advisories on Tropical Depression Six at 2100 UTC on August 31 while it was located about east-southeast of the southern Windward Islands.
Upon becoming a tropical cyclone, the depression was located to the south of a strong
ridge
A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
, resulting in a west-northwest motion. The system maintained curved
rainbands
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and ...
with expanding
outflow, and with light
wind shear
Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...
and warm water temperatures the environment favored further development.
Its deep convection consolidated very near the center, and shortly after passing over the island of
Grenada
Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Felix early at around 0900 UTC on September 1.
Felix quickly strengthened as it developed a small inner core of convection with tightly wound bands around the center,
and by late on September 1 an
eye feature was observed on satellite imagery.
Based on reports from reconnaissance aircraft, the National Hurricane Center estimated that Felix attained hurricane status by early on September 2 while located about east-northeast of
Bonaire
Bonaire is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles, and is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially Public body (Netherlands), "public body") of the Netherlands. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (Windward an ...
.

Tracking through an area of extremely low wind shear and increasingly high
oceanic heat content, Felix quickly developed a well-defined eye, a symmetric cloud structure, and strong upper-level outflow;
consequently, the hurricane commenced
explosive intensification shortly afterward. Felix attained major hurricane status at around 1800 UTC on September 2 while located about southeast of
Kingston,
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
. Rapid strengthening continued, and later that day the hurricane attained Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with the pressure dropping to ; this corresponded to a falling rate of per hour, which the National Hurricane Center described as "one of the more rapid deepening rates we have observed." A Hurricane Hunters flight reported a
stadium effect in the eye, and also reported the eye diameter shrank to .
A subsequent Hurricane Hunters flight experienced flight level winds of , with peak surface winds of reported in the southwest quadrant of the eyewall; surface winds of were found in its northeastern quadrant, although the National Hurricane Center reported the peak reading could have been contaminated due to
graupel
Graupel (; ), also called soft hail or hominy snow or granular snow or snow pellets, is precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets in air are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming balls of crisp, opaque rime.
Gra ...
in the clouds. Based on the observations, it is estimated Felix attained winds of by 0000 UTC on September 3 while located about southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, making Felix a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. This also makes Felix the second-fastest intensifying Atlantic hurricane on record, just behind
Wilma 2 years prior.
While investigating the hurricane, Hurricane Hunters encountered extreme turbulence and potentially dangerous graupel, which forced the flight to abort the mission.
Continuing quickly westward, the diameter of the eye decreased to ,
and the National Hurricane Center estimates the hurricane attained a minimum central pressure of about seven hours after it reached Category 5 status.
Initially, Felix was predicted to track west-northwestward, striking
Belize
Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
before crossing the
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...
;
however, its path remained nearly due westward. Subsequently, cloud tops near the center started to warm as the eye became less distinct,
and by 1800 UTC on September 3, Felix weakened to Category 4 status with winds of .
On September 4, Felix had completed an
eyewall replacement cycle
In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones with maximum sustained winds greater than , or hurricane-force, and particularly in major hurricanes of Saffir–Simps ...
and began strengthening again during the day. Felix was upgraded to a Category 5 for the second time at 1040 UTC, and made landfall in Nicaragua just south of its border with
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
, in the
Mosquito Coast
The Mosquito Coast, also known as Mosquitia, is a historical and Cultural area, geo-cultural region along the western shore of the Caribbean Sea in Central America, traditionally described as extending from Cabo Camarón, Cape Camarón to the C ...
region, as a Category 5 hurricane with winds. Hurricane Felix struck Nicaragua on the same day as
Hurricane Henriette struck the
Baja California Peninsula in the eastern
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
, which marked the second recorded occurrence that a
North Atlantic hurricane and a
Pacific hurricane made landfall on the same day; the previous occurrence was on August 23, 1992, when
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was a compact, but very powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Bahamas, Florida, and Louisiana in August 1992. It was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida in terms of structures dama ...
hit the
Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...
on the same day
Hurricane Lester hit Mexico's Baja California Peninsula. By nine hours after moving ashore, the system maintained a well-organized cloud pattern and intense rainbands, although the winds rapidly decreased;
early on September 5 Felix weakened to a tropical storm as its upper-level circulation became detached from the low-level portion.
The system deteriorated to a tropical depression as it crossed into southern Honduras, and at 0900 UTC the National Hurricane Center issued the last advisory on Felix as it began degenerating into a broad low pressure area.
The remnants of Felix tracked west-northwestward over other portions of
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
, and eventually dissipated over the
Mexican state
A Mexican State (), officially the Free and Sovereign State (), is a constituent federative entity of Mexico according to the Constitution of Mexico. Currently there are 31 states, each with its own constitution, government, state governor, a ...
of
Tabasco
Tabasco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tabasco, 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa.
It i ...
on September 7.
Preparations

Upon Felix's becoming a tropical cyclone, a
tropical storm warning was issued for
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the south ...
,
Tobago
Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...
, and
Grenada
Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
and its dependencies; a tropical storm watch was also issued for the northeastern
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
coast from
Cumaná
Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in Sout ...
to
Pedernales, including
Isla Margarita
Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the north west coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island.
History
...
, as well as the
ABC islands.
The National Emergency Management Agency of
Tobago
Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...
was fully activated, with 79 shelters opened on the island.
Coinciding with the upgrade of Felix to tropical storm status, the watch for the ABC islands was upgraded to a tropical storm warning.
A hurricane watch was added to the islands early on September 2,
where several tourists attempted to leave by plane prior to the arrival of the storm.
Early on September 2, the government of Jamaica issued a tropical storm watch for the island,
which was canceled as the hurricane passed far to its south.
Later on September 2, a tropical storm watch was issued for
Grand Cayman
Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town, Cayman Islands, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of L ...
,
and the next day a tropical storm warning was put in place on
Providencia Island. A hurricane watch was issued for the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and the entire coastline of
Belize
Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
at 1200 UTC on September 3.
At 0300 UTC on September 3, the government of Honduras issued a hurricane watch from
Limón
Limón (), also known as Puerto Limón, is the capital city of both the province and canton of the same name. One of Costa Rica's seven "middle cities" (i.e., main cities outside of San José's Greater Metropolitan Area), Limón has a populat ...
to the Honduras/Nicaragua border,
which was upgraded to a hurricane warning six hours later. At the same time, a hurricane watch was extended westward to the Honduras/
Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
border,
and early on September 4 a tropical storm warning was put in place for the same region.
Officials ordered evacuations for citizens in low-lying areas near the coastline; by midday on September 3, around 300 tourists evacuated from the
Bay Islands department, with an additional 400 preparing to leave by plane;
approximately 2,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas.
By the time the hurricane made landfall, about 20,000 people in Honduras left for safer areas.
At 1500 UTC on September 3, about 21 hours before its final landfall, the government of Nicaragua issued a hurricane warning from
Puerto Cabezas
Puerto Cabezas (; also known as Bragman's Bluff in English language, English, or Bilwi in Miskito language, Miskito) is a municipality and city in Nicaragua. It is the capital of Miskito people, Miskito nation in the North Caribbean Coast Autonom ...
northward to the national border.
About 12 hours before landfall, a tropical storm warning was issued from Puerto Cabezas southward to
Prinzapolka.
Prior to the arrival of the hurricane, officials sent about 140,000
lbs (63,000
kg) of meals and emergency supplies to near the landfall location.
Impact
Caribbean Islands

At around 1200 UTC on September 1 a wind gust of was recorded on
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
, and around the same time a gust of was observed in
Saint Vincent.
The storm produced heavy rainfall across the Windward Islands. On
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...
, heavy precipitation caused mudslides and overflown rivers which destroyed some bridges; moderate winds damaged several buildings on the island. Damage on neighboring
Tobago
Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...
was concentrated on its northern portion, where several mudslides resulted from the rainfall;
monetary damage on Tobago was estimated at $250,000 (2007
TTD; $40,000 2007 USD$, USD). Felix produced gusty winds on
Grenada
Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...
, which downed several power lines and destroyed the roofs of two houses; rough waves also broke several vessels from their anchors.
In
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
, winds from the storm damaged the roof of a store in
Castries, which collapsed and destroyed 12 vehicles.
In the
ABC islands, the hurricane resulted in gusty winds and heavy rainfall. However, little damage was reported in
Bonaire
Bonaire is a Caribbean island in the Leeward Antilles, and is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially Public body (Netherlands), "public body") of the Netherlands. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (Windward an ...
; the precipitation left several homes submerged under water in
Curaçao
Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela.
Curaçao includ ...
. In
Aruba
Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
, the winds damaged one house and briefly left a northern town without power.
Hurricane Felix produced strong winds and waves along the north coast of
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, which left one person missing in
Puerto Cabello
Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...
.
Central America

Early reports suggest severe damage in Honduras and Nicaragua after Felix made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane. In Puerto Cabezas, nearly every structure sustained at least roof damage, and many buildings were destroyed. Along the Mosquito Coast, flooding and mudslides were reported, destroying many houses and blocking highways. The government of Nicaragua declared the northern Caribbean coast a
disaster area
A disaster area is a region or a locale that has been heavily damaged by either natural, technological or social hazards. Disaster areas affect the population living in the community by a dramatic increase in expense, loss of energy, food and se ...
.
The
Miskito Cays
The Miskito Cays (Spanish language, Spanish: Cayos Miskitos) are an archipelago of small Cay, cays and Reef, reefs with an area of 27 km2 located off Mosquito Coast in the Caribbean Sea, Caribbean exclusive economic zone, exclusive economic ...
, located about from
Bilwi on the northeast coast of Nicaragua, was among the strongest hit areas. Hurricane Felix had not yet made landfall but reached maximum force when it passed over the Miskito Cays. The winds of the hurricane, with speeds of up to , destroyed the Cays completely.
Pillars that previously formed the base of the houses were the only remains on the Cays.
At least 133 people were reported dead. At least 130 of them were in Nicaragua. While few details have been disclosed, they include at least 25 dead Miskito fishermen swept away, a drowning death on a boat, impact from a fallen tree and at least one indirect death caused by medical complications after birth.
There were three deaths reported in Honduras, one of which was caused by a motor vehicle accident caused by heavy rain and landslides, and two caused by flooding in the capital city of
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa ( )—formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz''—is the capital and largest city of Honduras along with its sister city, Comaya ...
.
However, hundreds of others were missing (mostly at sea), and communication was difficult to impossible in many areas. Some survivors were also found on the Mosquito Coast who were initially reported missing.
According to official information, at least 40,000 people were affected and 9,000 houses destroyed, most of them in the Nicaraguan city of Bilwi (Puerto Cabezas), where a "State of Disaster" was decreed by the government. A total lack of supplies and services were also reported in the area. The response was almost immediate. Help from Venezuela,
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, the United States, and Honduras was received, and a lot of organizations, such as the Nicaraguan Red Cross, the media and universities organized collections all over the country. Nicaraguan
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Daniel Ortega
José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...
visited Bilwi on the day after the catastrophe and promised the reconstruction of houses to the people affected. Damage in Nicaragua totaled 13.4 billion (2007
NIO; $716.3 million 2007 USD$, USD).
Inland flooding was also reported in Honduras, particularly near Tegucigalpa and in the northwestern regions where the
Ulua River and the Chamelecon River overflowed into an agricultural area.
Coastal flooding
Coastal flooding occurs when dry and low-lying land is submerged (flooded) by seawater. The range of a coastal Flood, flooding is a result of the elevation of floodwater that penetrates the inland which is controlled by the topography of the coas ...
also damages the town of Izabal in Guatemala where 850 people were evacuated.
Crop damage in Honduras amounted to L68.28 million (2007
HNL; $3.64 million 2007 USD$, USD).
Aftermath
After Felix, over 160,000 people were suffering as many communities were stranded due to the storm. An appeal was given out by the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
for over $48 million (2007 USD$, USD) in emergency aid to the hard-hit areas, particularly in Nicaragua. The appeal United States federal government delivered over $1.17 million (2007 USD$, USD) in assistance, and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
responded with a donation of
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
1 million euros ($1.36 million 2007 USD$, USD). The
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.
Established in 1961 and reorganized in 1998 ...
(USAID) and the
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance
The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) was an organizational unit within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) charged by the President of the United States with directing and coordinating international Unite ...
(OFDA) airlifted 120 rolls of plastic sheeting to the severely affected areas, which was used to repair the damaged roofs of health clinics and schools. USAID and OFDA also distributed 12,000 ten-liter water containers to Puerto Cabezas. Emergency relief supplies from both USAID and OFDA totaled to $94,190 (2007 USD$, USD). In the aftermath of both Hurricane Dean and Felix, combined, USAID and OFDA donated $25,000 (2007 USD$, USD) in aid to Honduras, and $1.2 million (2007 USD$, USD) to Nicaragua. In addition,
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
(USDOD) gave $1.5 million (2007 USD$, USD) in
humanitarian assistance
Humanitarian assistance is aid and action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and disasters. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including providing food, water, shelter, ...
to Nicaragua. In collaboration with USAID and OFDA, the USDOD delivered near 27.55
ton
Ton is any of several units of measure of mass, volume or force. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses.
As a unit of mass, ''ton'' can mean:
* the '' long ton'', which is
* the ''tonne'', also called the ''metric ...
s (25
metric tons
The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the sh ...
) of food from the United Nation's World Food Program to the
North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The North Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It was created along with the South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region by the Autonomy Statute of 7 September 1987 through a division of the former Zela ...
, Nicaragua.
Retirement
Due to the extensive damage and high death toll from the hurricane in Nicaragua, the name ''Felix'' was retired by the
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology an ...
in May 2008, and it will never be used again for an Atlantic tropical cyclone. The name was replaced with ''Fernand'' for the
2013 season.
See also
*
Tropical cyclones in 2007
During 2007, tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 129 systems formed with 79 of these developing further a ...
*
List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
A Category 5 Atlantic hurricane is a tropical cyclone that reaches Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, within the Atlantic Ocean to the north of the equator. They are among the strongest tropical cyclones that can f ...
*
Timeline of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season
*
Hurricane Matthew (2016) – Similar storm and lowest latitude Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record
*
Hurricane Eta
Hurricane Eta was a deadly and erratic tropical cyclone that devastated parts of Central America in early November 2020. The record-tying twenty-eighth named storm, thirteenth hurricane, and sixth major hurricane of the extremely active 2020 A ...
(2020) – A deadly Category 4 hurricane that impacted similar areas
*
Hurricane Iota
Hurricane Iota was a devastating late-season tropical cyclone which caused severe damage to areas of Central America already devastated by Hurricane Eta two weeks prior. The 31st and final tropical cyclone, 30th named storm, 14th hurricane, an ...
(2020) – A Category 4 hurricane that impacted similar areas
References
External links
NHC report on Hurricane FelixNHC archive on Hurricane Felix
archive on Hurricane Felix
Tropical CyclonesUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
Video from the eye of Hurricane Felix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix (2007)
2007 Atlantic hurricane season
Hurricanes in Venezuela
Hurricanes in Nicaragua
Hurricanes in Honduras
Hurricanes in El Salvador
Hurricanes in Guatemala
Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes
Retired Atlantic hurricanes
Hurricane Felix
Hurricane Felix
Hurricane Felix
Hurricane Felix
Hurricane Felix
Hurricanes in the ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)
Felix