Red alert as hurricane rakes Mexico
Source: Agencies |
June 22, 2011, Wednesday
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HURRICANE Beatriz brushed Mexico's resort-studded Pacific coast with powerful rains and winds early yesterday, flooding streets as tourists hunkered down in hotels.
Authorities closed the ports of Acapulco, Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo and urged hotel owners to tell guests not to go to the beach. As of late on Monday, one tourist had been injured when a tree fell on him in Acapulco.
The US National Hurricane Center said Beatriz's winds grew to a hurricane-force 150 kilometers per hour early yesterday and the storm was moving near or over the coast of Mexico overnight. Beatriz was forecast to move away from the coast by late yesterday.
The Mexican government issued a red alert for areas around the resort city of Manzanillo. Other warnings were issued from the resort city of Zihuatanejo northwest to Cabo Corrientes. Watches went out for other parts of the coast, including southern Mexican states.
Beatriz was located about 20 kilometers southeast of La Fortuna and 80 kilometers west-northwest of Manzanillo early yesterday and was moving northwest at 20 kilometers per hour.
The hurricane was expected to drop 15 to 30 centimeters of rain along the coast of southwestern Mexico, possibly causing dangerous flash floods and mudslides. Some coastal flooding and large waves were expected in the hurricane warning area.
A light rain was falling in Manzanillo late on Monday, but people were mostly going about their business with normal vehicle traffic in main avenues. The eye of the storm was expected to pass within 60 kilometers of the beach town early yesterday.
In Manzanillo, many tourists were hanging out at the beach on Monday afternoon despite warnings not to.
"There's a lot of wind," said Carmen Lopez, a 40-year-old Mexican tourist vacationing in Manzanillo with about 15 family members from Guadalajara. "I'm kind of scared ... but we're staying here in the hotel for our vacation."
The Esquivias family from California, who arrived on Monday for their vacation, said they weren't worried at all about an impending hurricane.
"A lot of people are saying it isn't true," said Sandra Esquivias, 15.
Farther south along the coast in Zihuatanejo, civil protection officials ordered the port closed completely and authorized five shelters in case of floods or mudslides.
About 150 Mexican soldiers were deployed on a rescue mission in case homes needed to be evacuated in Acapulco, the Mexican army said late on Monday. Authorities said 100 homes and some avenues in the tourist district were flooded because of the heavy rains.
Authorities closed the ports of Acapulco, Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo and urged hotel owners to tell guests not to go to the beach. As of late on Monday, one tourist had been injured when a tree fell on him in Acapulco.
The US National Hurricane Center said Beatriz's winds grew to a hurricane-force 150 kilometers per hour early yesterday and the storm was moving near or over the coast of Mexico overnight. Beatriz was forecast to move away from the coast by late yesterday.
The Mexican government issued a red alert for areas around the resort city of Manzanillo. Other warnings were issued from the resort city of Zihuatanejo northwest to Cabo Corrientes. Watches went out for other parts of the coast, including southern Mexican states.
Beatriz was located about 20 kilometers southeast of La Fortuna and 80 kilometers west-northwest of Manzanillo early yesterday and was moving northwest at 20 kilometers per hour.
The hurricane was expected to drop 15 to 30 centimeters of rain along the coast of southwestern Mexico, possibly causing dangerous flash floods and mudslides. Some coastal flooding and large waves were expected in the hurricane warning area.
A light rain was falling in Manzanillo late on Monday, but people were mostly going about their business with normal vehicle traffic in main avenues. The eye of the storm was expected to pass within 60 kilometers of the beach town early yesterday.
In Manzanillo, many tourists were hanging out at the beach on Monday afternoon despite warnings not to.
"There's a lot of wind," said Carmen Lopez, a 40-year-old Mexican tourist vacationing in Manzanillo with about 15 family members from Guadalajara. "I'm kind of scared ... but we're staying here in the hotel for our vacation."
The Esquivias family from California, who arrived on Monday for their vacation, said they weren't worried at all about an impending hurricane.
"A lot of people are saying it isn't true," said Sandra Esquivias, 15.
Farther south along the coast in Zihuatanejo, civil protection officials ordered the port closed completely and authorized five shelters in case of floods or mudslides.
About 150 Mexican soldiers were deployed on a rescue mission in case homes needed to be evacuated in Acapulco, the Mexican army said late on Monday. Authorities said 100 homes and some avenues in the tourist district were flooded because of the heavy rains.
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