Ida Drenches Central America, Might Approach U.S.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Former Hurricane Ida drenched Central America as a tropical depression on Friday and forecasters said it had some chance of regaining force and heading toward the U.S.

Ida had winds of 75 mph (125 kph) when it hit the central Nicaraguan coast on Thursday, but it quickly lost force as it slogged inland and winds were down to about 35 mph (55 kph) Friday morning, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The storm smashed scores of flimsy dwellings and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes in sparsely populated eastern Nicaragua. Bridges, schools and electrical transmission towers were damaged, but no deaths were reported.

The depression was centered about 55 miles (85 kilometers) west of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the coastal border between Nicaragua and Honduras and it was moving north at near 7 mph (11 kph).

The storm was projected to cross over Honduras and emerge into the Caribbean Friday night.

Ida was expected to regain some force over the Caribbean and the still tentative forecast track showed it grazing the Cancun region of Mexico as a tropical storm by Monday morning, then heading toward the U.S. Gulf Coast.