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Hurricane John tore into the southern coast of Mexico on Friday after intensifying rapidly in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, surprising the authorities who asked residents of some coastal areas to hide.
The US National Hurricane Center said John had “rapidly strengthened” into a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph). The storm is close to the coast – about 30 miles (45 kilometers) south of Punta Maldonado and moving north at 8 mph (15 kph).
John was barreling forward as a Category 2 hurricane on Friday afternoon, but is expected to continue to strengthen into a major hurricane late Friday or early Tuesday. John’s forecast path kept changing so the point of landfall remained uncertain.
The center said dangerous winds and storms, as well as “life-threatening” flash floods along the Pacific coast near Oaxaca, the center of the resort town, were “approaching”.
The unexpected surge in power surprised scientists, authorities and residents in the region, something meteorologist Matt Benz attributed to warmer oceans, which add fuel to hurricanes.
As a result, surprise spikes in hurricane strength are becoming more common, Benz said.
“This is a storm we’ve never experienced before,” he said. “Rapid intensification has happened more often in modern times than back in the historical record. So that tells us something is happening there.”
Things were tense in Oaxaca’s coastal towns on Monday shortly after the announcement as residents and businesses rallied in support. Authorities appeared to be reacting quickly to the change in forecasts.
Laura Velázquez, the federal civil protection coordinator, told residents of the Pacific coast city that they should evacuate their homes and go to shelters to “protect their lives and their families.”
“It is very important that all residents in the coastal zone … take precautionary measures,” Velázquez said.
Ana Aldai, a 33-year-old employee of a restaurant located on the edge of the tourist center of Puerto Escondida, said that businesses in the area began to close after the authorities ordered the suspension of all work on the area’s main beaches.
After authorities met Monday afternoon to plan their response, the state governments of Guerrero and Oaxaca announced they would suspend classes in some coastal zones on Tuesday.
The governor of Oaxaca said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters. It also said it was sending 1,000 military and state personnel to deal with the emergency.
Videos on social media from Puerto Escondido show tourists in flip-flops walking through torrential rain and fishermen pulling boats out of the water. Heavy rains in the previous days have left some roads in the area in an unstable position.
Aldai said he was “a little sad” that the news from authorities came so quickly. “There is no opportunity to buy what we need. This also bothers us,” he said.
Benz, the meteorologist, expressed concern that the storm could slow down once it reaches land, causing the storm to hover over the coastal zone, which could cause greater damage.
The storm is grim news for the region, which last year was walloped by Otis, who were quickly intensifying the hurricane.
Otis ravaged the resort town of Acapulco, where the residents had no warning of what power he was about to unleash. One of the fastest-moving hurricanes ever seen, scientists at the time said it was a product of climate change.
Otis knocked out power in the town for days, leaving bodies scattered on the beach and family members desperately searching for their loved ones. Many cities left in the country without law and thousands scavenged in shops, scrambled for food and water.
The government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has received harsh criticism for its slow response to Otis, but since the authorities have promised to increase the speed.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said her government plans to work on improving the early warning system, similar to whether the country has an earthquake.
Through Thursday, John is expected to produce 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of rain in coastal areas of Chiapas state with more in isolated areas. In areas along and near the Oaxaca coast in southeastern Guerrero, between 25 and 50 centimeters (10 and 20 inches) of rain with higher totals can be expected through Thursday.
“You will feel the impact of the storm probably over the next few weeks to months,” meteorologist Benz said.
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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
