Extremely dangerous Hurricane “Lydia” began sweeping the Mexican mainland on Tuesday evening with the strength of a Category 4 hurricane (on a five-level ascending scale), accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of 220 km/hour, according to what the US Hurricane Center announced.
The National Hurricane Center, based in the United States, said that Lydia, a hurricane that formed over the Pacific Ocean and greatly increased in strength as it approached the coast of central-western Mexico, made landfall at 23.50 GMT near the city of La Peñitas in the state of Jalisco.
Lydia had become an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane (on a five-level ascending scale) before arriving on the Mexican mainland.
Even before the hurricane arrived, heavy rain fell in Puerto Vallarta, forcing hundreds to seek shelter, while many stores fortified their glass facades with wooden panels.
Schools in the region suspended classes and the authorities asked stores to close their doors as of 14:00 (20:00 GMT).
“Everything that does not involve emergency tasks must be closed,” said Gerardo Alonzo Castellon, director of civil protection and fire department in Puerto Vallarta. “We also call on residents of dangerous areas to evacuate and take shelter.”
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced during his daily press conference that civil protection services are “on alert,” stressing that the army has deployed “about six thousand members of the armed forces” in anticipation.
According to the Mexican Meteorological Service, the areas expected to be most affected by the hurricane extend from the state of Colima (west) to the state of Nayarit (northwest), where rain is expected to fall between 150 to 250 mm.
The authorities asked residents of areas at risk to exercise caution and seek refuge in temporary shelters and stay away from the coast.
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