Mexico City/Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 11 (EFE) – The death toll from the double scourge of hurricanes Lidia and Max rose to five on Wednesday after two deaths were reported in Jalisco, in western Mexico.
According to Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro, one person died while crossing a river in the municipality of Pihuamo.
The army reported the death of another person from a heart attack in Autlán after the evacuation of the regional hospital, which was flooded by the rains.
Lidia weakened on Wednesday after making landfall as a category-four hurricane on Tuesday.
The governor reported no casualties in other municipalities, only minor damage due to falling trees, damaged roofs, and flooded homes that have yet to be accounted for.
“As we saw the evolution of this natural phenomenon, the concern grew. It rose very quickly in category until it reached level 4; it entered directly through Jalisco, but the reality is that, beyond its intensity, the effects were not as terrible as we expected,” Alfaro said in a video.
The national coordinator of civil protection, Laura Velázquez, confirmed hours earlier the death of a man in the neighboring state of Nayarit due to a falling tree in Bahía de Banderas.
Lidia’s victims add to the two deaths caused by Max. This cyclone weakened after landfall as a tropical storm on Monday in Guerrero, in southern Mexico.
One person died after falling into a sinkhole on the Acapulco-Zihuatanejo highway, and another was swept away by the current in the municipality of Técpan.
Due to the impact of Lidia, the Civil Protection Coordinator announced the deployment of 32,293 Armed Forces members, 741 vehicles, four community kitchens, nine aircraft, 13 boats, and 403 pieces of specialized equipment.
Despite Lidia’s weakening, its “remnants will cause hefty rains in Colima, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Michoacán, Nayarit, and Zacatecas,” warned the National Meteorological Service (SMN).
“It is estimated that the heavier rains will be accompanied by lightning, strong gusts of wind, and possible hail; they could cause flooding and a rise in river and stream levels, as well as landslides and flooding in low areas,” the SMN warned.
Lidia and Max are the twelfth and thirteenth cyclones of the season in the Pacific, after Adrian, Beatriz, Calvin, Dora, Eugene, Fernanda, Greg, Hilary, Irwin, Jova, and Kenneth.
The most devastating was Hilary, which killed four people in August in Baja California, Baja California Sur, and Sinaloa.
The Mexican government predicted the formation of up to 38 named hurricanes in May in the 2023 season, five of which would hit the country. EFE
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