TEPIC, Mexico (25 Oct 2002) -- The most powerful hurricane in decades crashed into Mexico's Pacific coast on Friday, destroying houses and cutting roads in fishing towns while burying hotel swimming pools under seawater in the resort of Puerto Vallarta. There were no immediate reports of death, but officials evacuated more than 20,000 people from coastal areas before Hurricane Kenna hit land about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Tepic with winds of 140 mph (225 mph). Waves thundered over the coastal boulevard of Puerto Vallarta, 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the southwest, and swept over hotel swimming pools. Power was out to much of the city. "This is the most exciting thing that's happened to me since I gave birth," Dana Segura, a 55-year-old grocery clerk from Rohnert Park, California, said at a small hotel about a block from the seafront in Puerto Vallarta. The brunt of the storm hit Nayarit state, where Gov. Antonio Echeverria met aides by the light of a battery-powered fluorescent lamp to monitor the crisis. Power was knocked out in parts of the state capital of Tepic, a city of 250,000 people, and officials cut the rest due to danger from downed power lines. "We are worried because never before in the history of the state have we had a phenomenon of this magnitude," Echeverria said, flinching as a metal window guard banged against the glass. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm hit land near the fishing and tourist town of San Blas. Sustained winds -- which had reached 160 mph (260 kph) on Thursday -- dropped to 140 mph (225 kph) before the storm hit the coast, then slipped further to 80 mph (130 kph) as the storm raced into north-central Mexico in the direction of Texas at 24 mph (39 kph). The Hurricane Center said the storm might re-form near the Texas Gulf coast late Saturday. Nayarit Civil Defense Director Jose Heriberto Betancourt said 20,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas of his state. Neighboring Jalisco and Sinaloa states reported thousands more evacuated there. Red Cross officials said the coastal highway from Tepic to Mazatlan -- a key section on the road from Mexico City to the Arizona border -- was washed out, blocking ambulances. Some drivers were trapped by fallen trees on the highway from Tepic to San Blas. Local television reports said hundreds of houses in San Blas had been damaged or destroyed. | | Trees and power lines littered the streets of Tepic, 18 miles (30 kilometers) from the sea at 3,000 feet (915 meters) in a coastal mountain range. Some falling branches smashed into cars. The Red Cross reported several dozen people were cut by flying glass. About 3,000 evacuees, most from San Blas, gathered at a Tepic high school whose classrooms were crowded with children sleeping on blankets. "You can replace things, but not life," said Alicia Ortiz, 46, who brought her two sons to the shelter. Her husband stayed behind in San Blas to protect the ice factory where he works. In Puerto Vallarta, Mayor Pedro Ruiz said at least 42 people were treated for injuries and 2,000 others had been evacuated to shelters -- which ranged from humble schools to the meeting salons of luxury hotels. Hazel Burns, a 26-year-old student from Southampton, England, said she and friends had tried to leave the resort early Friday, but their bus was forced back by a fallen tree blocking the road. Back in town, they took a taxi through flooded streets, past floating cars and fleeing seaside residents. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my entire life. All the cars were swimming around. We didn't know what direction to go in," she said. "The taxi driver was excited and kept saying, 'Hey, look at this!' I didn't want to look. I was just saying to myself, 'Just keep going, keep going!"' Earlier fears that the storm would disrupt a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in Cabo San Lucas, at the tip of the Baja California peninsula, evaporated when Kenna turned to the east. Its landfall Friday came 180 miles (290 kms) southeast of the summit site. Kenna appeared to hit land with the strongest Pacific Coast winds since Hurricane Madeline came ashore near Zihuatanejo in 1976 with 144-mph (230-kph) winds. SCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
