Death toll from storms in Mexico climbs to 6
Heavy rains from Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel have killed six people along Mexico's Pacific coast, with authorities warning that rising rivers and continued flooding pose ongoing dangers to vulnerable communities.
The worst devastation occurred in Ensenada, Baja California, where flooding killed at least five people, according to the state prosecutor's office. The victims included a 13-year-old girl whose body was found Sunday, two women ages 30 and 35, a 4-year-old boy recovered Monday, and an unidentified person discovered near a stream Tuesday.
Five others remained missing in Baja California, including three in Ensenada and a father and son who went fishing Saturday in San Felipe on the Gulf of California and never returned. About 300 military personnel, police and rescue workers searched along Ensenada's El Pipila stream Tuesday, while the Mexican navy continued looking for the missing fishermen.
Ensenada's infrastructure proved particularly vulnerable to the extreme rainfall. Research has shown that precipitation exceeding 50mm per day can overwhelm the city's sewage system capacity, and the current flooding swept away vehicles, damaged homes and cut off access to some communities. The Emilio López Zamora dam, built in 1976 for flash flood containment, has seen its useful capacity reduced to just 2.61 million cubic meters due to sediment accumulation, down from its original 3.75 million cubic meter total capacity.
Johana Nuriulu, a resident of Ensenada's Buena Vista community, described the terrifying overnight deluge.
"We heard a loud noise that sounded like ocean waves, but very intense," she said.
When she stepped outside after heavy rain knocked out electricity, she discovered a nearby stream had overflowed.
"The water was sweeping everything away; it took a cabin, animals, everything."
Mexican soldiers used helicopters to rescue 32 people, including 13 minors, from Rancho Genesis, a camp for orphans staffed by missionaries. The army said 22 of those rescued were foreign nationals, including Americans and Germans, according to Baja California Security Secretary Gen. Laureano Carrillo.
Hurricane Simon brings continued threat
Hurricane Simon was moving parallel to Mexico's Pacific coast Tuesday as a Category 1 storm, centered about 110 miles west of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph and moving west at 2 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm had earlier reached Category 4 strength with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph before weakening as it approached the coast, making it one of the strongest storms of the 2024 eastern Pacific season.
Forecasters warned that Simon could produce isolated maximum rainfall totals of up to 30 inches in portions of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, creating extreme flood risk. The hurricane continued threatening more rainfall in Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa, where authorities remained on alert for rising rivers and flooding.
In southern Guerrero state, Simon's heavy rains toppled trees and utility poles, blocked roads and flooded homes in coastal communities, including the resort city of Acapulco. A 71-year-old person died when a wall collapsed in Chilpancingo, the state capital, Gov. Evelyn Salgado said.
Authorities took preventive measures in the port city of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, ahead of the storm, national Civil Protection Coordinator Laura Velázquez said Monday. Meanwhile, conditions were improving in the tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, where residents began resuming normal activities as the rain subsided. State authorities ordered schools to reopen Tuesday, while operations at Puerto Vallarta's airport gradually resumed.
The 2024 Pacific hurricane season has proven particularly challenging for Mexico's Pacific coast, with the season having a record-late start as the first named storm did not form until July, making it the slowest start of any Pacific hurricane season in the satellite era. Despite the delayed beginning, the region has faced multiple devastating hurricanes this year, including Hurricane John, which made landfall on southern Mexico in September as a rapidly intensifying Category 3 hurricane, causing 29 deaths and an estimated $2.45 billion in damage.
