MEXICO CITY (AP) – Hurricane Agatha, the first in the eastern Pacific season, headed to a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing villages off the south coast of Mexico on Monday amid warnings of dangerous storm surges and floods due to heavy rains.
After training on Sunday, Agatha quickly gained power and was predicted to make landfall as a strong Category 2 hurricane on Monday afternoon or evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
He was moving to the area near Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel in the southern state of Oaxaca, a region that includes the quiet resorts of Huatulco, Mazunte, and Zipolite.
The hurricane center said Agatha could “carry an extremely dangerous swell and life-threatening winds.”
In the early hours of Monday, Agatha had sustained maximum winds of 110 mph (175 km / h), just 1 mph below the threshold for a Category 3 hurricane center. The center of the storm was about 65 miles (110 km) southwest of Puerto Angel and was heading northeast at 6 mph (9 km / h).
Little change in strength was expected before the storm made landfall, according to the hurricane center. There was a hurricane warning between the port of Salina Cruz and the Chacahua Lagoons.
The Oaxaca Civil Protection Bureau on Sunday released photographs of fishermen boarding their boats on the beaches to protect them from the storm as the initial gangs moved ashore.
Huatulco’s municipal authorities ordered the “absolute closure” of all the beaches in the complex and its famous seven bays, many of which can only be reached by boat. They also closed local schools and began installing storm shelters.
To the west, in Zipolite, long known for its optional beach and bohemian atmosphere, staff at the small Casa Kalmar hotel gathered outdoor furniture and placed wooden shutters to keep out the winds. strong blown windows and glass doors.
“The biggest concern here is the wind,” said hotel manager Silvia Ranfagni.
With only one guest, and many cancellations due to the hurricane, Ranfagni had planned to leave Agatha on the property, which is three or four blocks from the beach.
“I’ll lock myself in here with my animals,” he said, referring to his dog and cats.
The government’s Mexican Turtle Center, a former slaughterhouse that has been turned into a conservation center in Mazunte, announced it was closed to visitors until further notice due to the hurricane.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was expected to drop 10 to 16 inches (250 to 400 millimeters) of rain in parts of Oaxaca, with isolated highs of 20 inches (500 millimeters). ), which poses the threat of sudden floods and mudslides.