Hurricane Erick weakens after hitting Mexico’s southern Pacific coast
Hurricane Erick weakened after slamming into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a Category 3 storm, leaving a trail of damaged businesses, wrecked boats and flooded streets in the state of Oaxaca as authorities warned of risks from heavy rain, Al Jazeera reports.
The hurricane struck near the beach town of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state early on Thursday morning, bringing powerful winds and rain. The storm was downgraded to Category 1 after landfall, with sustained winds dropping to 137 kilometres per hour (85 miles per hour).
In Puerto Escondido, emergency workers and residents moved quickly to restore access by removing fallen trees, downed signs and sand-covered boats. Streets were flooded, and large parts of the town lost power and mobile coverage.
Despite the destruction, officials reported no deaths or injuries in the storm’s wake.
Forecasters predicted Erick would unleash destructive winds, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge.
Authorities initially warned that Erick could unleash up to 40cm (16 inches) of rain on Oaxaca and Guerrero, which could lead to “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain”.
Maximum sustained winds in Oaxaca reached 205km/h (125mph) in the early hours before slowing to 140km/h.
An alert remained in place for life-threatening flooding and mudslides in Oaxaca and Guerrero states, with wind gusts continuing for several hours, and a storm surge expected to produce coastal flooding and large, destructive waves, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Mexican authorities had scrambled to prepare residents and tourists before Erick’s arrival. In a video message on Wednesday night, President Claudia Sheinbaum urged people to stay at home or move to shelters if they were in low-lying areas.
About 2,000 temporary shelters were set up in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca to house those who had to leave their homes.
Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado said schools in her state would stay closed, and fishing and tourism operators had been told to make their boats storm-ready.
The city of almost one million people was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, which killed at least 52 people and destroyed many homes and businesses.