CNN
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Two people died in landslides after Hurricane John hit Mexico’s southern coast on Monday night, prompting warnings of heavy rains and life-threatening flooding.
John made landfall south-southwest of the town of Marcullia in Guerrero state around 9:15 p.m. local time, according to the National Hurricane Center, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph).
John then weakened to a tropical storm and moved northwest of the coastal city of Acapulco in Oaxaca state. According to the National Hurricane Center, its slow motion and interaction with nearby mountains could contribute to “disastrous rainfall along the coast and inland.”
The two died in their home in the town of Tlacoachistlahuaca, Guerrero, when a landslide followed heavy rains, Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda said Tuesday.
A day earlier, the storm had sustained winds of 35 mph (56 kph), but it reached two of its fastest intensities in 24 hours, more than tripling its speed.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm could re-emerge across the ocean and intensify again as its center “moves toward the southern coast of Mexico.” Regardless of its erratic movement, John will produce heavy rain and life-threatening flash flooding in southern Mexico for the next few days.
Oaxaca’s governor said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters, while officials canceled classes in several coastal regions on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
Businesses in Puerto Escondido, a tourist destination in the southern part of the state, were closed after authorities ordered all activities on the area’s main beaches to be suspended, the news agency reported.
Ana Altai, who works at a restaurant there, told the AP she was “a little upset” that the announcement from authorities came so quickly.
“There is no opportunity to make the necessary purchases,” he said.
The Mexican government has upgraded the hurricane warning from Acapulco east to Lagunas de Sacahua to a tropical storm warning. All tornado warnings have been discontinued.
Coastal areas of Chiapas are expected to receive 6 to 12 inches of rainfall, with isolated totals of about 15 inches. Areas along the Oaxaca coast and southeast to Guerrero could see 10 to 20 inches of rain through Thursday, with isolated showers nearing 30 inches. Rainfall can cause significant flash flooding and landslides in rugged terrain.
