In Puerto Hidden, tourist destination in Oaxaca with about 30,000 inhabitants, streets were flooded, trees fell and the city was out of electricity and no cell phone signal
Erick lost intensity on Thursday (19) by playing the soil of the state of Oaxaca, on the coast of Pacific, and was relegated to category 1, according to the United States National Hurricanes Center (NHC). The phenomenon advances at 19 km/he still records sustained winds of up to 140 km/h, according to NHC report released at 12 noon (Brasília time). Erick is expected to dissipate later tonight, but continue to cause heavy rainfall, with risk of flooding and landslides in various regions.
Before reaching the continent, Erick arrived in category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (which goes from 1 to 5). The National Meteorological Service of Mexico (SMN) alerts to rainfall in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas, in the south of the country, as well as Veracruz (East) and Puebla (center). The president of Mexico, thanked the population for following the authorities’ guidelines and staying at home. “As Hurricane has recently touched Costa, we are in contact with the defense and the Navy and soon we will have more information about the impacts,” he said at a press conference.
In Puerto Hidden, a tourist destination in Oaxaca with about 30,000 inhabitants, streets were flooded, trees fell and the city was out of electricity and no cell phone signal. Soldiers helped clean the rubble on Thursday morning, and residents tried to rescue buried boats in the sand. “The water never hit so hard here. He overthrew a statue on the beach and directly hit my trade,” said merchant Luis Alberto Gil, 44.
The city of Acapulco, which is still recovering from the damage caused by the Otis Hurricane in 2023, was also affected by rainfall. Trades were closed and the circulation of residents was reduced, given the fear of new damage. Local authorities suspended classes, closed ports and airports, and activated more than 2,000 shelters. Hundreds of soldiers were mobilized to assist in serving the population.
Mexico is among the countries most exposed to tropical hurricanes and cyclones, both in the Pacific and the Atlantic, especially between May and November. In September 2024, Hurricane John hit the South Mexican coast twice, causing at least 15 deaths.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Felipe Cerqueira
