The James Logan Courier

By Casey Woods, Jacqueline Charles and Martin Merzer
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Hurricane Felix clung to much of its "potentially catastrophic" power Monday night as its core roared toward an assault on the coastal and mountain villages of Nicaragua, Honduras and neighboring nations.

"What is worth more, staying to protect a refrigerator or television set or getting out and saving your own lives?" Carlos Gonzalez, Honduras' emergency operations chief, said during a national radio address as towering 15-foot waves began crashing ashore.

Nine years ago, Hurricane Mitch claimed as many as 13,000 lives in Honduras. In 1974, Hurricane Fifi killed 5,000 Hondurans.