Author: Luis Alberto Cruz
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (AP) — Former Hurricane John barreled into Mexico's south Pacific coast, tearing off tin roofs from homes, triggering mudslides and toppling dozens of trees, officials said Tuesday. Two people died.
John developed into a major hurricane within hours on Monday and made landfall about 80 miles east of the resort town of Acapulco, then weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland.
John made landfall late Monday night near the town of Punta Maldonado as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. It weakened to tropical storm status early Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph and was expected to weaken rapidly.
Evelyn Salgado, the governor of coastal Guerrero state, said mudslides caused by the storm swept into their town of TLAH-ko-chis-tla, further away from the coast. -waka) house in the mountains, killing two people.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that the storm's slow speed and heavy rains could cause potentially catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in some Mexican states.
“Seek a higher realm, protect yourself, and don't forget that life is the most important; material things can be replaced. We are here.
Lincer Casiano Clemente, the mayor of Maquilla, a town close to the hurricane-hit coast, said early Tuesday that “there are a lot of houses, mainly houses with sheet roofs, roofs blown down by the air.
The mayor said there have been no reports of deaths or injuries in Maquglia so far. But much of the coast was without power and highways were blocked by fallen trees.
The storm was located 60 miles north-northwest of Acapulco Tuesday morning and moving northwest at 8 mph. It is expected to linger along the coastal mountains and even back toward the Pacific Ocean, but will continue to weaken throughout the day.
Heavy rainfall this week along Mexico's southwestern coast could cause “severe and potentially life-threatening catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides” in parts of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero states, the hurricane center said.
Monday's unexpected surge in intensity surprised scientists, authorities and residents in the region, and AccuWeather senior meteorologist Matt Bentz attributed it to ocean warming, which adds to the hurricane's firepower.
As a result, unexpected surges in hurricane intensity are becoming more common, Bentz said.
“These are storms we've never really experienced before,” he said. “Rapid intensification is happening much more frequently in modern times than in the historical record. So that tells us something is happening there.
The storm was tragic news for the region, which was hit by a similar, rapidly intensifying Hurricane Otis in 2023.
Otis devastated the resort city of Acapulco, whose residents had little warning of the force that was about to attack them. It was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, and scientists at the time said it was a product of changing climate conditions.
Otis left the city without power for days, leaving bodies strewn on the coast as desperate families searched for their lost loved ones. Much of the city is in a state of lawlessness, with thousands of people scouring shops for food and water.
López Obrador's government has been heavily criticized for its slow response to Ortiz, but authorities have since pledged to move faster.
President-elect Claudia Scheinbaum said her government plans to work on improving early warning systems, similar to the country's earthquake system.
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