Published: October 23,2015
Roberto López Lara, secretary general for Jalisco, reported shortly before 10 local time that the storm had downed trees in Cihuatlán and that much of Cihuatlán is without power. According to Lara, the Colima-Guadalajara freeway is closed as well as the highway between Manzanillo and Guadalajara.
The southern coast of Mexico has already seen swells generated by Patricia that will
spread northwestward during the next day or so, according to an
advisory from the National Hurricane Center. These swells are likely to
create surf and rip current conditions that could be life-threatening.
Prior
to Patricia's arrival, Mexican authorities declared a state of
emergency and warned residents to prepare. The state of emergency was
issued for 56 municipalities who are projected to face Patricia's wrath,
the Associated Press reported. The municipalities are located in
Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states."We need people to understand the magnitude of the hurricane, it is a devastating hurricane, the biggest one ever registered," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio told Mexico’s Radio Formula Friday morning, via the AP.
(FORECAST: Hurricane Patricia Threatens Pacific Coast of Mexico)
Patricia made landfall at 615 p.m. CDT (2315 UTC) along the coast of Mexico near Cuixmala. http://hurricanes.gov
Sirens have been sounded along the coastline to warn residents and tourists that they need to evacuate, according to Ian Hayden Parker, a former resident of Atlanta, Georgia, who has lived in Puerto Vallarta for the past 10 years.
"Currently, my focus for Vallarta Daily is to get the word out about this storm," he told The Weather Channel. "For many of us connected, it’s hard to imagine people still would not be informed, but it’s true. We live in a resort town, but outside of the tourist zone, there is still a lot of poverty and people without computers, Internet, or phones. So this is an ongoing concern."
(MORE: Travel Heavily Impacted Along Mexican Coast)
Just received this letter from the resort. @mandy_tancak @angelaganote @MarianneLyles @WTHRcom @NWSIndianapolis
Southwest Airlines said on its website that flights into and out of Puerto Vallarta from Friday through Sunday can be rescheduled.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned citizens in the path of the storm that preparations should be rushed to completion with landfall just hours away.
"This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane," center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen told the AP.
(MORE: Track Hurricane Patricia)
In Manzanillo, residents stocked up on non-perishables at a Wal-Mart. One of those shoppers was Alejandra Rodriguez, who bought 10 liters of milk, a large jug of water and canned foods while shopping with her mother and brother. Manzanillo's "main street really floods and cuts access to a lot of other streets. It ends up like an island," she told the AP.
Schools will close in Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit states in anticipation of Patricia's arrival, according to Mexico's civil defense coordinator, Luis Felipe Puente, the AP said.
"The neighborhood leaders have come for sacks to fill with sand," Luz Adriana Limon Rojas of Colima state's civil defense agency told the AP.
Mexico's national water commission, CONAGUA, reports that the government has 1,782 temporary shelters available in the states of Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco with a combined capacity of more than 258,000 people.
#SanPatricio & #BarraDeNavidad will experience equivalent EF5 tornado & 20 foot tsunami at same time. #Patricia
“If there are things you need to do to protect your family, your home or your boat, TODAY IS THE DAY. You might want to postpone that spa appointment.”
Andy Barrow, On-the-Water Director for the club, told The Weather Channel that the Banderas Bay area is generally pretty sheltered from hurricane damage, but locals in Puerto Vallarta are nevertheless "taking down outside structures that might blow away, making sure boats are well tied, and canceling on-the-water events for this coming weekend.
(MORE: 5 Things to Know about Patricia)
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated their website for travelers to Mexico, indicating that Hurricane Patricia is forecast to bring hazardous sea and weather conditions to parts of the west coast starting Friday.
The United States Embassy in Mexico issued an emergency message to U.S. citizens in Mexico, urging them to "make preparations immediately to protect life and property," as well as keep a watchful eye on the Mexican government's civil protection website and media reports.
Not all tourists are planning to flee the storm. Laura Diane Rebholz, vacationing in Puerto Vallarta from Scottsdale, Arizona, told NBC News she plans to ride out the hurricane at the hotel where she's staying.
"It's almost as if it's literally 'the calm before the storm'," she told NBC News. "It's very much business as usual around the resort with staff seemingly unfazed by the hurricane."
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