Hurricane Iris

Template:Short description Template:Other hurricanes Template:Featured article Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox weather event Template:Infobox weather event/NWS Template:Infobox weather event/Effects Template:Infobox weather event/Footer

Hurricane Iris was a small, but powerful tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction in Belize. Iris was the second-strongest storm of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season, behind Hurricane Michelle.Template:Atlantic hurricane best track It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricaneTemplate:Refn of the year, forming from a tropical wave on October 4 just southeast of Barbados. It moved westward through the Caribbean, intensifying into a tropical storm on October 5 south of Puerto Rico, and into a hurricane on the following day. While passing south of the Dominican Republic, Iris dropped heavy rainfall that caused landslides, killing eight people. Later, the hurricane passed south of Jamaica, where it destroyed two houses. On reaching the western Caribbean Sea, Iris rapidly intensified into a Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. A small hurricane with an eye of only Template:Convert in diameter, Iris reached peak winds of Template:Convert before making landfall in southern Belize near Monkey River Town on October 9. The hurricane quickly dissipated over Central America, although its remnants contributed to the formation of Tropical Storm Manuel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The hurricane caused severe damage—destroying homes, flooding streets, and leveling trees—in coastal towns south of Belize City.

Destruction was heaviest in Belize and totaled $250 million (2001 USD).Template:Refn Because Iris was compact, the damage was largely confined to 72% of the houses in the Toledo district and 50% of the houses in the Stann Creek district. The hurricane damaged or destroyed 3,718 homes nationwide, and wrecked more than 95% of the homes in 35 villages in the poorest parts of the country. Iris left about 15,000 people homeless, many receiving assistance from the government and the local Red Cross chapter. High winds also damaged large swaths of forest and crops, mostly affecting the banana industry. Iris killed 24 people in Belize, including 20 who died when a scuba diving boat capsized near Big Creek. The storm also killed eight people and damaged about 2,500 homes in neighboring Guatemala, and later dropped heavy rainfall in southern Mexico, where two people died.

Meteorological historyEdit

Template:Storm path Toward the end of September 2001, a poorly-defined tropical wave moved westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean, through an area of hostile wind shear, which was caused by a large upper-level low within a trough, to the northeast of the Lesser Antilles.<ref name="tcr">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A few days later, the upper-level low detached from the trough and moved southwestward over the Caribbean Sea, allowing for an upper-level ridge, or high-pressure area, to form over the tropical wave. The change provided a favorable environment for tropical development, and an area of convection soon blossomed along the wave's axis. As the tropical wave approached the Lesser Antilles, a mid-level wind circulation formed within the deepest part of the convection, and a low-level circulation became gradually more pronounced on satellite imagery. Although its low-level circulation was small and poorly defined, the system increased in organization enough to be classified as Tropical Depression Eleven at 12:00 UTC on October 4, located about Template:Convert southeast of Barbados.<ref name="tcr"/> Operationally, however, Hurricane Hunters did not confirm the depression's formation until nine hours later.<ref name="disc1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In its early stages, the depression moved west-northwestward between the islands of St. Vincent and St. Lucia under the influence of a strong ridge to its north. Compared to its appearance 24 hours before forming, the depression exhibited improved outflow and more distinct convection, although its lower circulation remained very poorly organized.<ref name="disc1"/> This was confirmed by a Hurricane Hunters flight into the system, which failed to report a closed circulation despite the depression's well-organized appearance on satellite imagery.<ref name="disc2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At 21:00 UTC on October 5, they reported a strengthening circulation with flight-level winds of Template:Convert, corresponding to a surface wind intensity of Template:Convert. Based on these data, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Iris, situated about Template:Convert south of the southern coast of Puerto Rico. Iris moved toward the west-northwest at approximately 15 knots. Its trajectory was influenced by a strong subtropical ridge located to the north of the tropical cyclone, which dominated the steering pattern.<ref name="disc5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In post-season analysis, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated that Iris had attained tropical storm status about nine hours earlier.<ref name="tcr"/>

File:Iris 2001-10-08 1742Z (visible).gif

The eye of Iris just north of Honduras, late on October 8

Despite the storm's intensification and well-organized satellite appearance, the circulation failed to become better defined.<ref name="tcr"/> In their first discussion on Iris, the NHC mentioned the potential for the system to degenerate into a tropical wave if it maintained its fast forward speed.<ref name="disc1"/> One forecaster noted that the center was fragile and that the cyclone could dissipate quickly if it encountered stronger wind shear to its south.<ref name="disc5"/> Although its overall appearance did not change significantly, the Hurricane Hunters reported a closed eye with a diameter Template:Convert and a stadium effect (eyewall curvature) on October 6.<ref name="disc8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that day, Iris reached hurricane strength just southwest of the southern tip of the Dominican Republic,<ref name="tcr" /> and the NHC remarked that land interaction with the Greater Antilles was the only factor impeding further development.<ref name="disc9">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After Iris reached winds of Template:Convert early on October 7, its intensity remained steady for about 24 hours.<ref name="tcr" /> During that time, the satellite appearance became slightly ragged as its outflow became restricted, possibly due to an upper-level low.<ref name="disc11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By late on October 7, the area of hurricane force winds associated with Iris extended only Template:Convert from its Template:Convert wide eye.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early on October 8, after turning west-southwestward away from the Greater Antilles, Iris began strengthening again, with warm waters and an absence of significant wind shear and the NHC predicted peak winds of Template:Convert before the storm would hit Belize.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, Iris instead began to rapidly intensify within the favorable conditions, going from Template:Convert in a 12-hour period on October 8, making Iris a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale; in the same duration, the minimum central pressure dropped 38 mbar (1.12 inHg).<ref name="tcr"/> While intensifying, the hurricane developed concentric eyewalls, with an innermost eye having a diameter of Template:Convert.<ref name="disc16">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> For comparison, the smallest known eye diameter on record for an Atlantic hurricane was about Template:Convert, during Hurricane Wilma in 2005.<ref name="wilma">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With such a small eye, a Hurricane Hunters flight could not deploy a dropsonde into the center of Iris,<ref name="disc16"/> and shortly after the flight, the innermost eye collapsed as the core paralleled the Honduras coastline just offshore. This resulted in a temporary and slight weakening during an eyewall replacement cycle, but within a few hours Iris re-intensified to attain peak winds of Template:Convert just off Belize. At 02:00 UTC on October 9, it made landfall at peak intensity in Monkey River Town in the southern portion of Belize.<ref name="tcr"/> Operationally, it was assessed as having made landfall with winds of Template:Convert, though for an unknown reason this was lowered in post-analysis.

Initially, Hurricane Iris was forecast to remain a tropical cyclone while crossing Central America and to re-intensify in the eastern Pacific Ocean; had it done so, it would have retained the name Iris.<ref name="disc16"/> Instead, the hurricane rapidly weakened after moving into the mountainous terrain of Guatemala, and within six hours of landfall, the hurricane weakened to a tropical storm. Late on October 9, within sixteen hours of landfall, the storm's circulation dissipated over extreme southeastern Mexico.<ref name="tcr"/> As the remnants approached the Pacific Ocean, a new area of convection developed south of the original circulation of Iris. It gradually organized while continuing westward, developing into Tropical Storm Manuel; the new storm ultimately lasted until October 18, before succumbing to cooler waters and wind shear.<ref name="manuel">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

PreparationsEdit

Over a stretch of four days, sixteen tropical cyclone watches and warnings were issued in association with Iris, affecting the Dominican Republic, the Cuban provinces of Granma and Santiago de Cuba, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, the Yucatán Peninsula, Guatemala, Honduras and Belize.<ref name="tcr"/> The threat from Iris prompted the Jamaica National Emergency Operations Center to be activated. Shelters were opened in the country but were ultimately unused.<ref name="jam"/>

In Belize, a hurricane warning was issued about 23 hours before Iris moved ashore.<ref name="tcr"/> A state of national emergency was declared on October 8 as Hurricane Iris neared landfall. All emergency response committees were activated to quickly begin recovery efforts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A mandatory evacuation was issued for Stann Creek and Toledo coastal villages and all offshore islands. The main hospital in Belize City was evacuated as a precaution and the city itself was placed under a voluntary evacuation order.<ref name="paho"/> Overall, 11,380 people evacuated their homes in Belize,<ref name="wfp1017">Template:Cite report</ref> including many in Belize City.<ref name="afp1009"/> These evacuations were later credited for limiting the death toll.<ref name="dref1010"/> Hurricane Keith had struck the nation a year prior, preparing some citizens for what to expect.<ref name="afp1009">Template:Cite news</ref> Disaster response teams arrived the day after Iris was projected to make landfall. Pan American Health Organization staff were on standby in Belize, Guatemala and Honduras and were ready to respond to any post-storm disease outbreaks.<ref name="paho">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On October 8, the Government of Honduras declared a red alert for all northern regions, advising residents to expect "extreme weather conditions".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> About 5,000 people in the country evacuated from their homes. To the north of Belize, officials in Mexico evacuated people from fishing villages and closed ports.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

ImpactEdit

**Death toll by area**
State/country	Deaths
Belize	23
Dominican Republic	3
Guatemala	8
Mexico	2
Total	36

Lesser and Greater AntillesEdit

While Iris was in its development stages, residents as far north as Saint Thomas reported rain and thunderstorms.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the Dominican Republic, Iris dropped around Template:Convert of rainfall along the coast, forcing 35 families to evacuate their homes after rivers exceeded their banks. The rains triggered a landslide outside of Santo Domingo that destroyed a home, killing a family of three. There was another landslide in the region that injured two people.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Iris's passage near Jamaica destroyed two houses and damaged the roofs of two others, causing one injury. Otherwise, damage in the country was minimal.<ref name="jam">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Wave DancerEdit

A Template:Convert scuba diving boat overturned during the hurricane near Big Creek, Belize, possibly hit by a tornado.<ref name="ap1016">Template:Cite news</ref> The boat, named the Wave Dancer, had 28 people on board,<ref name="tcr"/> including 20 from the Richmond Dive Club out of Richmond, Virginia; most of them were upstairs in the boat, and none were diving. The captain had delayed returning to shore, and the passengers waited for the storm to pass along a dock, not anticipating the ferocity.<ref name="surv">Template:Cite news</ref> Iris cut the ropes connecting the boat to the dock, causing it to overturn in Template:Convert waters.<ref name="ap1016"/><ref name="surv"/> Eight people survived, and 11 bodies were recovered; it was presumed that 20 people died during the wreck,<ref name="tcr"/> including 15 from the Richmond area and three crew members.<ref name="ap1016"/>

Another boat, the Vendera, also reportedly capsized with people on board.<ref name="tcr"/>

BelizeEdit

Hurricane Iris moved ashore in Belize with winds of Template:Convert, although the highest measured winds were Template:Convert at a station in Big Creek. Because of its small diameter, Iris produced heavy damage only in a Template:Convert area of southern Belize. In that region, the hurricane produced a storm surge of up to Template:Convert,<ref name="tcr"/> with waves of over Template:Convert in height,<ref name="dref1010">Template:Cite report</ref> causing street flooding and some damage to the offshore cayes.<ref name="tour">Template:Cite report</ref>

As it moved ashore, Iris damaged houses and schools in dozens of villages.<ref name="sitrep5">Template:Cite report</ref> In 35 villages, the storm destroyed more than 95% of the buildings.<ref name="ifrc1012">Template:Cite report</ref> Its small size confined the worst damage largely to Toledo and Stann Creek districts, which are the two southernmost and poorest districts of the country.<ref name="dref1010"/><ref name="un1017"/> The percentage of damaged houses was 72% in Toledo district and about 50% in Stann Creek,<ref name="cdera1019-1">Template:Cite report</ref> leaving about 15,000 people homeless.<ref name="ifrc1018">Template:Cite report</ref> In both districts, the storm caused power outages and contaminated water supplies.<ref name="ifrc1012"/> In the worst-affected areas, poor Mayan people living on farms lost much of what they owned.<ref name="ifrc1012"/> At Placencia near the coast, about 80% of the homes were destroyed and many of the remaining buildings had roof damage, with downed power poles in the streets.<ref name="dref1010"/> About 90% of the houses in nearby Seine Bight were destroyed,<ref name="ocha1010"/> and where Iris made landfall, over 90% of the homes were destroyed throughout Monkey River Town.<ref name="dref1010"/> The storm damaged several roads and fishing piers in southern Belize. Iris also damaged tourism facilities, including minor impact to the Maya ruins of Belize,<ref name="cdera1011"/> and damaged 20% of the hotel rooms in the country, accounting for $37 million in losses.<ref name="oas1017">Template:Cite report</ref> The remainder of the country remained generally unaffected during the storm.<ref name="rony"/>

In southern Belize, the storm's strong winds left crop damage, in some cases where the harvest had just begun. About Template:Convert of bananas were destroyed, along with over Template:Convert of rice, Template:Convert of corn, and other crops to a lesser degree.<ref name="cdera1011">Template:Cite report</ref> The storm also flooded fields and killed several livestock. The shrimp industry lost 25% of its catch,<ref name="cdera1011"/> partly due to contaminated waters.<ref name="cdera1011b"/> Crop damage in Belize was estimated at $103 million,<ref name="oas1017"/> mostly from banana losses.<ref name="cdera1011"/> Iris's strong winds also damaged large swaths of forest, with upwards of 40% of trees affected in some areas.<ref name="cdera1011"/> This disrupted the habitats of several animals, and it is likely that many of the howler monkeys near Monkey River were killed.<ref name="eprints"/> The storm's strong waves eroded the beach, although marine effects were much less than those of Hurricane Keith in the previous year.<ref name="cdera1011"/> Nevertheless, there were reports of fish die-offs after the storm, possibly from low oxygen due to too much decaying matter.<ref name="eprints">Template:Cite report</ref>

Nationwide, Iris damaged or destroyed 3,718 homes,<ref name="ifrc123"/> directly affecting a total of 21,568 people,<ref name="un1017"/> or 8.5% of the total population.<ref name="unicef">Template:Cite report</ref> The storm damaged or destroyed 31 schools and 17 health facilities,<ref name="un1017">Template:Cite report</ref> along with 21 government buildings.<ref name="ocha1018">Template:Cite report</ref> There was about $25 million in damage to the transportation sector, including highways and bridges.<ref name="oas1017"/> Iris killed 24 people in and around the country,<ref name="ifrc1114">Template:Cite report</ref> including the victims of the Wave Dancer shipwreck.<ref name="arc1012"/> Overall damage was estimated at $250 million,<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> making it the most damaging storm in the country since Hurricane Hattie in 1961.<ref name="rony">Template:Cite report</ref>

Elsewhere in Central AmericaEdit

High tides and heavy rainfall caused power outages across both Guatemala and Honduras.<ref name="afp1009"/> In the former, the hurricane's rainfall generally amounted to Template:Convert, triggering flash flooding and landslides that injured nearly 100 people.<ref name="Guatemala1"/> The damage was heaviest in Petén Department in the northern portion of the country.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> The storm damaged 26 schools and 2,500 homes in the country's interior.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An estimated 27,500 people were affected by the storm throughout Guatemala.<ref name="Guatemala1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There were eight deaths in the country,<ref name="tcr"/> two of them the result of falling trees.<ref name="afp1010">Template:Cite news</ref>

The remnants of Iris dropped heavy rainfall over southern Mexico, accumulating Template:Convert in the southern state of Chiapas.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> In Oaxaca, the storm produced heavy rains and damaged a total of 120 houses. A mudslide in one village demolished 20 homes and killed a child, while elsewhere in the state a man drowned after being swept away in a flooded river.<ref name="un">Template:Cite news</ref>

AftermathEdit

On October 9, the government of Belize issued the "all clear" signal, indicating that the storm had fully passed, and began reconstruction efforts and damage assessment.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The government declared Stann Creek and Toledo districts as disaster areas,<ref name="cdera1011b">Template:Cite report</ref> and officials declared a nighttime curfew. By the day after the storm struck, the airport in Belize City had been reopened, and transportation in all but the southern portion of the country returned to normal.<ref name="ocha1010"/> Residents in the southern part of the country lost access to fresh water, forcing them to drink unclean water.<ref name="ifrc1012"/> Officials sent medical teams to southern Belize in the most affected areas.<ref name="dref1010"/> The Belmopan Red Cross issued an appeal for residents to donate money, clothing, and food for storm victims.<ref name="ocha1010">Template:Cite report</ref> The Red Cross also set up shelters and gave food to more than 7,000 people.<ref name="arc1012">Template:Cite report</ref> By October 19, most roads in southern Belize were reopened. The Belize government printed a new postage stamp to help pay for reconstruction costs, and officials authorized spending $1.2 million to rebuild damaged homes. To assist the farmers who lost crops, the Belize government provided Template:Convert of maize seeds, as well as fertilizer.<ref name="cdera1019-1"/> After the storm, the World Food Programme and the Belize Red Cross collectively provided food for the 9,000 families in need of subsidence.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> By October 31, the Red Cross had provided blankets, tarps, and hygienic supplies to 4,800 people severely affected by the storm.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> Homes were gradually repaired, and crop production returned to normal by early 2002. Around Christmas of 2001, the Belize Red Cross provided presents to school children in 14 villages affected by the storm.<ref name="ifrc123">Template:Cite report</ref> The lost banana crop caused sales to decrease by 22% in 2002, although sales gradually recovered.<ref>Template:Cite report Template:Dead link</ref>

The government of Belize issued an appeal to the international community for assistance in the days following Iris's landfall,<ref name="wfp1011">Template:Cite report</ref> and various countries provided aid.<ref name="ocha1010"/> The United Kingdom sent a helicopter to assist in damage assessment and a crew to clean the water. The United States also sent a crew for damage assessment and donated plastic sheeting.<ref name="cdera1019-2"/> Although sustaining significant damage, the Government of Guatemala deployed a working team with members from throughout the country to assist in recovery in Belize.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mexico sent blankets, mattresses, food, and water, as well as a medical team.<ref name="cdera1019-2"/> The Japanese government sent tents and blankets,<ref>Template:Cite report</ref> and the Chinese government donated Template:Convert of rice and dried fruits.<ref name="cdera1019-2">Template:Cite report</ref> Various United Nations departments donated about $225,000.<ref name="ocha1010"/>

The American victims of the Wave Dancer boat wreck were flown back to the Richmond, Virginia area following the storm.<ref name="ap1016"/> The insurance company covering the boat reached a $4 million settlement, which was disbursed among the survivors and the victims' families. The boat operator remained in business following the accident.<ref name="surv"/>

RetirementEdit

Template:See also On account of the damage left behind by the hurricane in Guatemala and Belize, the name Iris was retired in the spring of 2002 by the World Meteorological Organization and will never again be used for a North Atlantic tropical cyclone. It was replaced with Ingrid for the 2007 season.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref><ref name="NHOP 02">Template:Cite report</ref>