A storm bearing down on Mexico’s southwest Pacific coast strengthened into a hurricane Wednesday, hours before it is due to make landfall, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Hurricane Erick was 255 kilometers (155 miles) from the town of Puerto Angel in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 kilometers an hour (75 mph), the meteorological center said.
“Rapid strengthening is expected today, and Erick may reach major hurricane strength when it approaches the coast of southern Mexico Thursday,” the NHC said.
The NHC said Erick will produce intense rainfall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, yielding “life-threatening flooding and mudslides.”
Mexican authorities said they were also expecting heavy rain in Chiapas state.
At her regular morning conference President Claudia Sheinbaum urged people to avoid going out and advised those living in low-lying areas or near rivers to move to shelters.
In Acapulco, a major port and resort famous for its nightlife, local police with bullhorns walked the beach and drove around town warning residents and holidaymakers of the storm’s arrival.
Giving an update at Sheinbaum’s conference, Laura Velazquez, national coordinator of civil protection, said the government was using the preventive patrols and social media to warn people.
Around 2,000 temporary shelters have been set up in Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, and hundreds of troops and state electricity workers have been deployed to help in any clean-up effort.
Local authorities have suspended classes and closed ports along the coast, including the port of Acapulco, to shipping.
Mexico sees major storms every year, usually between May and November, on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
In October 2023, Acapulco was struck by Hurricane Otis, a powerful Category 5 storm that killed at least 50 people and left a trail of destruction.
John, a Category 3 storm that hit in September last year, caused about 15 deaths.
