Hurricane flags after Belize hit

— Hurricane Richard battered the tiny Central American country of Belize, sending thousands into shelters and forcing tourists to evacuate outlying islands, before weakening to a tropical depression Monday morning.

Richard made landfall as a hurricane Sunday night just south of Belize City, threatening flimsy wood-and-tin houses. An estimated 10,000 people in Belize took refuge at storm shelters in schools and churches ahead of the arrival of the storm.

By Monday morning, it was a tropical depression with winds near 35 mph, according to the U.S. national Hurricane Center in Miami. Additional weakening was expected as it heads into Mexico.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths after the hurricane hit, but roads and low-lying neighborhoods were flooded.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 10/26/2010

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