Southern Mexico begins cleanup after the storm downgrades to Category 1 after landfall.
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.
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.
The government deployed hundreds of troops and electricity workers for the cleanup operation, the AFP news agency reported.
Luis Alberto Gil, a 44-year-old local shopkeeper, told AFP the floodwaters had reached levels unseen in recent memory. “The water had never hit with this magnitude,” he said, standing outside his damaged business.
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.
Residents in the Guerrero resort of Acapulco were among those steeling themselves for Erick’s landfall.
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.
Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach in the 2023 hurricane. On Wednesday, he oversaw workers as they stored tables and chairs in preparation for the new storm.
“Authorities’ warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we’ve already been through,” he said.
Elsewhere in the city, Veronica Gomez, a 40-year-old shipping company worker, suggested Acapulco was much better prepared this time. “Now it’s not going to catch us by surprise,” she said.
Read the full article here
