A dangerous hurricane of category 4 Willa gets closer to the Mexican coast



[ad_1]

Authorities rushed to evacuate low-lying areas and set up shelters as an "extremely dangerous" hurricane Willa with winds of 230 km / h heading for Tuesday afternoon's landing on a stretch of the Pacific coast of Mexico dotted with seaside resorts, surf beaches and fishing villages.

Further south, at the same time, Mexican officials announced Monday night that there were 12 deaths related to heavy rains from tropical storm Vicente.

This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Willa in the eastern Pacific on a trajectory destined to hit the west coast of Mexico. (NOAA via AP)

Willa briefly reached Category 5, then weakened slightly to move to Category 4. However, the National Hurricane Center of the United States warned that it was still likely to cause "a wave of storm, wind and precipitation threatening "in parts of west-central and southwestern Mexico.

Workers have glued windows in hotels and the authorities have ordered the closure of schools in a low region where the cities are located in the middle of agricultural land nestled between the sea and the lagoons. An "extraordinary emergency" decree has been issued for 19 municipalities in the states of Nayarit and Sinaloa, the Federal Department of the Interior has announced.

& # 39; C & # 39; is for their safety & # 39;

According to officials, 7,000 to 8,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas, mainly in the state of Sinaloa.

The hurricane was to first pbad over or near Islas Marias, a group of islands located about 96 kilometers offshore, which include a nature reserve and a federal prison. The forecasters said Willa would then be thrown to shore in the late afternoon for a distance of 220 km between the resort town of Mazatlan and San Blas.

We have had some on the weather … or not, Willa will affect the United States. Not like a hurricane or tropical storm, but residual moisture is expected to cause heavy rains and flash floods in the southwestern United States later in the week. Http://t.co/f5yfe5x6AV pic.twitter.com/Jkc82TF1Nf

@NWS

Enrique Moreno, Mayor of Escuinapa, a municipality of about 60,000 inhabitants located on the potential Willa Trail, said officials were trying to evacuate everyone in the seaside village of Teacapan. He estimated that 3,000 people were affected, but he expects some people to try to stay.

"People do not want to evacuate, but it's for their safety," he said.

Welcomes a large number of expatriate Canadians

About 100 km from the coast in Mazatlan, with a population of about 500,000 in the metropolitan area, Mayor Jose Joel Boucieguez said officials had prepared shelters and kept a close eye on low-lying areas. Mazatlan is a popular resort and is home to many American and Canadian expats.

Late Monday, Willa was centered about 140 kilometers southwest of the Marias Islands and 310 kilometers south-southwest of Mazatlan. It was moving north at 15 km / h, but had to turn northeast during the night.

The force of the hurricane winds extended to 55 km from the center of the storm, while the strength of the tropical storms blew up to 205 km.

The US hurricane center warned that Willa could bring 15 to 30 centimeters of rain – up to 45 centimeters in some places – to parts of the states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa, with possible floods and landslides. mountainous regions.

Farther south, the tropical storm Vicente, which was weakening, should soon disappear, but it still caused heavy rains that caused severe floods in southern and southwestern Mexico.

Officials from the state of Oaxaca said seven adults and five children had lost their lives in drownings or mudslides.

[ad_2]
Source link