November 5, 2009 - By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Newly born Hurricane Ida ripped into Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast on Thursday after forcing more than 2,000 people to flee their homes and knocking out power to some parts of the impoverished region.

The hurricane struck land about 75 miles (125 kilometers) north of Bluefields. It was forecast to weaken while cutting across Honduras before possibly emerging over open water on Saturday — a still-tentative path that could carry it near Mexico’s resort of Cancun by midweek.

Ida had winds of 75 mph (120 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, and it was moving to the northwest at 6 mph (9 kph).

It could dump as much as 20 inches (500 millimeters) of rain in parts as it crosses eastern Nicaragua, with the risk of flash floods and mudslides, according to the Miami-based center.

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