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MEXICO – Mexican authorities evacuated thousands of people on Tuesday as Hurricane Willa was shooting down two states in the central-western part of the country, with winds reaching 120 km / h.
The hurricane weakened category 3 before landing Tuesday night in Sinaloa state, about 90 km south of Mazatlán, a seaside resort of nearly 500,000 inhabitants. According to the US National Hurricane Center, the hurricane is expected to affect the state of Nayarit, along the west-central coast of Mexico, and cause a storm surge.
The Mexican federal authorities have issued an "extraordinary emergency" decree for at least 19 municipalities along the Pacific coast. Forecasters said they expect a "life-threatening storm" that could potentially cause flash floods, landslides and rainfall of up to 18 inches.
Antonio Echeverría, governor of the state of Nayarit, said that 12,000 people had been evacuated in his only state. Local officials said many others could be evacuated in the end, local media reports said.
Before reaching the coast, the storm hit Islas Marías, a group of offshore islands that enclose a penitentiary colony and a nature reserve. There was no immediate report of death or injury.
On the coast, residents placed wood panels over their windows or tape over glass.
In Puerto Vallarta, in the coastal state of Jalisco, in the south, heavy waves hit the city's historic boulevard, which was closed as Hurricane Willa approached. In Nayarit State, hotels were turned into shelters, with food and blankets provided to evacuated residents.
At the hotel Playa Mazatlán, located by the sea, guests were asked to wait for the storm in the hotel theater. "The sea is rough," said Ramón Lizárraga, receptionist, in the middle of the evening. "The wind has not started yet, it's raining normally."
Twelve people died this week as a result of floods and landslides caused by tropical storm Vicente in the state of Oaxaca, to the impoverished southwest.
