The southern coast of the Mexican Pacific declared itself on alert this Monday due to the proximity of Hurricane Agatha, category 2, which is expected to make landfall in the next few hours in Oaxaca (south).
According to the 3:00 p.m. GMT bulletin from the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), the phenomenon was located 80 km from Puerto Ángel with sustained winds of 175 km/h and was moving northeast at 13 km/h, being a cyclone. 2 on the Saffir Simpson scale (out of 5).
“Little change in the strength of its winds is expected before it reaches the Oaxaca coast. It is expected to weaken rapidly after landfall and dissipate on Tuesday afternoon,” the NHC detailed.
The first hurricane of the season in the Pacific, Agatha quickly gained strength due to the high sea temperatures in the Mexican South Pacific and the initial forecasts did not rule out that it would reach category 3.
“It would impact the coast of Oaxaca this afternoon-night as a category 2 hurricane. It is a threat to the state (…), the yellow alert (medium danger) has been established,” Civil Protection of that state warned on its social networks.
The beaches of the Oaxacan coast looked cloudy and with rough seas on Monday morning, while the residents stocked up on water and food and protected homes and businesses. Non-essential classes and activities were suspended in the affected area.
“The shelters are already open, people are already arriving (…), we are at a red point, this is coming and it is coming strong,” Roberto Castillo, of Huatulco Civil Protection, warned AFP.
The Oaxaca government has set up 203 temporary shelters with the capacity to accommodate 26,800 people, and hotels have been set up to receive tourists.
5,240 national and foreign visitors have been identified in the risk zone in Oaxaca, which is home to resorts such as Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, popular with European and American tourists who are fond of surfing.
– Flood risk –
The Meteorological Service of Mexico reported on its side that the phenomenon causes strong gusts of wind and waves of up to 6 meters in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas.
The authorities have closed the ports to navigation in those regions, while the airlines began to cancel their flights to the Huatulco international airport from Sunday.
According to the trajectory predicted by the NHC, Agatha would make landfall near Puerto Ángel, a community of some 2,500 inhabitants that receives numerous visitors.
In the area that will be affected by the hurricane there are numerous and mighty rivers, for which the Mexican Meteorological has warned of possible overflows and landslides.
Every year Mexico suffers the onslaught of tropical cyclones on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, usually between May and November.
The 2021 Pacific hurricane season, which runs from May 15 to November 30, was moderately active with 40 events. Of these, 15 were hurricanes, according to the Mexican Meteorological.
