Much of Belize Without Power, All Dams at Flood Stage as Earl Churns West

Much of Belize was without electricity Thursday morning after Earl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in Belize early Thursday morning.

The storm, which was downgraded to a tropical storm again soon after making landfall, brought heavy rainfall to the country. All of the country's dams were at flood stage Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

"While some hurricane-force winds are possible near Earl's center of circulation, and storm surge flooding can be expected, the greater danger is likely to be from rainfall flooding," said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. "Tropical cyclones moving inland over Central America are notorious for deadly, destructive flash flooding and mudslides, due to heavy rainfall over mountainous terrain. That may be the greatest impact or legacy of Earl."

The storm was responsible for flipping a lobster fishing boat off the Honduran coast, and 83 people were thrown overboard, according to the Associated Press. The navy said two people remained missing Wednesday evening, but the others had been rescued.

In Trujillo, a swollen river overflowed and four families had to be saved, the AP also said.

(MORE: Where We Expect Earl to Go Next)

Belize Hunkers Down

Most of the country was without electricity Thursday morning as residents began assessing damage, the Associated Press reports. Around the capital, some roofs were torn off, power lines were down and trees were uprooted.

Belize City's airport was ordered closed, as were the country's national parks, according to the AP. Cruise ship calls were also canceled for this week, the Belize Tourism Board told the AP.

Deaths in the Dominican Republic

The six deaths and 12 injuries in the Dominican Republic occurred Sunday aboard a bus filled with people returning from a beach excursion near the town of Nagua in the northeastern part of the country, the AP said. The storm brought power lines down onto the bus, sparking a deadly fire, Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Diego Pesqueira said in the report.

Not far from Nagua, three bodies were recovered and four others remained missing after a tour boat overturned Sunday off the Samana Peninsula, the AP also reported. The cause of the incident has yet to be determined, military spokesman Arsenio Maldonado told the AP, but there was a small craft advisory due to the storm at the time the boat flipped.

(MORE: 4 Things to Know About Hurricane Earl)

Several Caribbean cruises have also been impacted by the storm. According to Cruise Critic, Earl has forced changes of itinerary for Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, as well as Norwegian Cruise Line's Escape.