On Tuesday, October 10, a category four hurricane crashed into Mexico’s Pacific coast at the resort of Puerto Vallarta.
With winds over 140 mph, Hurricane Lidia could easily crumble buildings by sending debris and heavy cars to crash into them. Not only this but entire house rooftops were blown away by the constant gusts of wind. Unfortunately, Hurricane Lidia killed one person and injured two more.
After decimating the resort, the hurricane then moved at roughly 30 mph north-northeast and was on a direct course of Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara. Reporters say that the hurricane will dissipate to a mere category one hurricane by the time it reaches Guadalajara, but the reporters still advise to remain cautious.
Inside Puerto Vallarta, people near the town of Mascota in Jalisco state boarded up windows to protect themselves from the violent storm. Bringing anything they could find, from sacks filled with sand to heavy rocks, they reinforced storefronts and doors. With the airport shutting off until 8:00 A.M. On Wednesday, October 11, nobody was on the street by nightfall.
Laura Velázquez, head of Mexico’s civil defense system, said that one person had died after being hit by a falling tree, and two others were injured by unknown means.
New Mexico has, on average, about 24 hurricanes a year. While most are category one and two hurricanes, some can be dangerous due to Mexico’s warm seas. However, hurricanes have become more and more frequent due to seas warming across the globe. Scientists expect rising sea temperatures to produce more hurricanes while also making them stronger and more intense than previous hurricanes.
With the situation constantly changing, it is hard to determine the current state of the people due to the destruction and chaos caused by the hurricane.
