It's the second major hurricane to hit Nicaragua in 13 days making landfall just 15 miles from where the last storm hit - that one was a category four; this one, a category five.
And while Iota is taking no prisoners, it has taken a few roofs. Iota is currently located over Nicaragua and Honduras with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.
A press release from NEMO this evening says, quote: "IOTA is forecasted to move more south of Belize than Eta. However, flooding due to heavy rainfall is a major concern as the system is expected to dump as much as 10 inches of rainfall on Belize especially over southern Belize."
The good news is that the system will continue to weaken while it moves over the mountainous terrain of Central America and is expected to be downgraded to a tropical depression tonight and a remnant low on Wednesday.
But, that's no consolation for Nicaragua and places like San Andres, Columbia - which is right off Nicaragua's coast. Those places were battered with terrible winds and storm surge.
Here are Global news videos from San Andres, Columbia with a mariner, a resident, and the Colombian president official explaining just how Iota has hit them.
Turning back to Belize, N.E.M.O is advising those who live along rivers and streams to relocate to higher ground and not to stay in homes that are likely to flood. They make a point of informing those in floodplains to safeguard their families saying that LIFE COMES FIRST
Flood alerts are in effect for the middle and lower reaches of the Belize River (Belize River valley communities, Crooked Tree and other downstream communities. Residents in these areas should remain vigilant as areas are already saturated giving a higher chance for flooding to occur.
As Iota approaches there is a FLASH FLOOD WARNING is in effect for rivers in the South.
And if you need to evacuate you'll be glad to know that all of the country's major highways are open. There is, however, a small craft warning in effect. Mariners such as those that work in the vicinity of Tobacco Caye where conditions look like this are advised to remain in safe harbor. These large waves rolling in this morning were related to the Iota storm surge hundreds of miles away.
