Hurricane Center: Nana has strengthened into a hurricane as it nears Belize’s coast

PUNTA GORDA, Belize — Nana has strengthened into a hurricane as it barrels westward just off the coast of Honduras on a collision course with the Central American nation of Belize, where thousands of people were stocking up on food, water and construction materials.

Long lines stretched through supermarkets and hardware store shelves were nearly bare as residents of Belize bought materials to board up windows and doors ahead of Nana’s expected landfall early Thursday as a hurricane.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Nana was located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) southeast of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph).