Erick upgraded to an ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4 hurricane, US forecasters say

PUERTO ESCONDIDO Mexico AP Southern Mexico s Pacific coast was braced for a Thursday morning impact with the approach of Hurricane Erick which was upgraded to an extremely dangerous Category early Thursday the U S National Hurricane Center explained The major storm threatens to unleash destructive winds near where the eye crashes ashore flash floods and a dangerous storm surge forecasters explained The Miami-based center broadcasted Erick was about miles kilometers west-southwest of Puerto Angel Mexico and about miles kilometers southeast of Punta Maldonado Mexico The storm had maximum sustained winds of mph kph and was moving northwest at mph kph A hurricane is defined as Category when wind speeds reach - mph - kph Storm moves south on approach Late Wednesday Erick s projected path crept south closer to the resort city of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state and centered on a sparsely populated stretch of coastline between the Oaxacan resort and Acapulco to the northwest President Claudia Sheinbaum declared in a video message Wednesday night that all exercises in the region were suspended and she urged people to stay in their homes or to move to shelters if they lived in low-lying areas Waves were crashing onto the esplanade in Puerto Escondido by nightfall swamping wooden fishing boats that had been pulled up there for safety The beach disappeared under pounding waves and the rising tide had already reached the interiors of specific waterfront restaurants Last-minute purchases ended at nightfall as stores closed and the streets emptied Earlier in the day fishermen in Puerto Escondido pulled their boats out of the water ahead of the storm s arrival Specific surfers continued to ride waves at the Zicatela beach even with red flags up to warn people to stay out of the water The storm s program shift could be welcome relief for residents of storm-battered Acapulco The city of nearly million was devastated in October by Hurricane Otis a Category hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught multiple unprepared At least people died in Otis and the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort s hotels Acapulco still scarred by Otis Acapulco residents explained they were bracing for Erick s arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis two years earlier Guerrero state Gov Evelyn Salgado stated via X that all movement in Acapulco and other beach communities was to be suspended at p m Schools across the state were to remain closed for a second day Thursday Carlos Ozuna Romero lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds On Wednesday he directed workers storing tables and chairs Personnel warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we ve already been through Ozuna Romero announced in reference to Otis Elsewhere workers nailed sheets of plywood over shop windows and stacked sandbags outside doorways Cars lined up to fill their tanks and shoppers made last-minute purchases before rushing home Ver nica G mez struggled through the streets of Acapulco with a large jug of water We re all afraid because we think the same thing could happen disclosed the -year-old employee of a shipping company But she reported she and others learned a lot from Otis Now it s not going to catch us by surprise she revealed holding out a bag of canned food as evidence In Acapulco on Wednesday there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets but the greater part visible were trucks from the national power company Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush Rain could be Erick s legacy Forecasters announced Erick was expected to lash Mexico s Pacific coast with heavy rain strong winds and a fierce storm surge Rains of up to inches centimeters could fall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero with lesser totals in Chiapas Michoacan Colima and Jalisco states the center s advisory announced The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides especially in areas with steep terrain A hurricane warning was in effect from Acapulco to Puerto ngel A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the area and preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion according to the hurricane center advisory Laura Vel zquez Mexico s national civil defense coordinator revealed Erick was forecast to bring torrential rains to Guerrero Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico The mountainous region along the coast is especially prone to mudslides with numerous rivers at pitfall of flooding Guerrero Gov Evelyn Salgado disclosed all schools would remain closed and the state had alerted all of the fishing and tourism operators to make their boats storm-ready Acapulco s port closed Tuesday evening Salgado reported shelters were set to receive people who might evacuate their homes Sheinbaum warned in her daily briefing that those in the hurricane s path should heed executive instructions and wait out the storm in their homes or designated shelters Erick rapidly doubled in strength Having doubled in strength in less than a day Erick was churning through an ideal ecosystem for quick intensification Last year there were incidents of rapid intensification when a storm gains at least mph in hours which is about twice as countless as average and causes problems with forecasting according to the hurricane center S nchez announced from Acapulco Mexico