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MAZATLAN, Mexico (AP) – Rescuers have struggled to reach the seaside towns left behind by Hurricane Willa on Wednesday, and the storm has continued to cause evacuations for fear of flooding even as she was dissipating in northern Mexico.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or missing persons, but storm winds damaged a hospital, cut electricity, knocked down wooden houses and demolished the metal roofing of other houses in the area. municipality of Escuinapa, in the state of Sinaloa.
The state civil defense office said that the ceiling of the hospital and other areas had been damaged in the city.
The most serious damage would have been caused by the handful of coastal communities isolated by road and without communication.
Workers were trying to remove spilled electric poles and trees blocking the road.
In the neighboring state of Nayarit, Governor Antonio Echevarria asked the federal government to send a helicopter, boats and life-saving equipment, and said that the state was trying to evacuate populations of communities exposed to floods.
Before hitting Tuesday night on the mainland near Isla del Bosque in Sinaloa, Willa swept a penal colony off the coast about 100 km into the Pacific. The authorities refused to comment on the precautions taken at the prison, citing security concerns, but said the safety of the detainees was a priority.
The US National Hurricane Center said the storm had quickly lost strength and dissipated Wednesday morning in northern Mexico.
It peaked as a Category 5 storm with winds of 55 mph (250 km / h) on the Pacific on Monday.
Concern over the rains, however, led Durango State to declare that it was evacuating 200 people threatened with accidental spills from the Santa Elena Dam. In Nayarit, the fire department called on villagers around the Acaponeta River to "evacuate immediately" as the river reached dangerous levels.
Willa arrived ashore about 80 km southeast of Mazatlan, a seaside resort with high-rise hotels and about 500,000 residents, including many American and Canadian expatriates.
Torrential rains began in the afternoon and emergency officials said they evacuated more than 4,250 people in coastal cities and set up 58 shelters before the storm. Schools were ordered closed.
Approaching Willa, Mazatlan beach has almost disappeared, waves have hit the coastal boulevard beneath the black clouds. Some surfers took advantage of the big waves while the coastal streets were almost deserted, with the exception of the workers who climbed windows in hotels, shops and houses.
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Isabella Cota, Associated Press Writer in Mexico contributed to the writing of this report.
