MEXICO CITY (AP) – Hurricane Agatha, season firstheaded for a stretch of tourist beaches and fishing towns on Mexico’s South Pacific coast on Monday amid warnings of dangerous storm surges and flooding from heavy rains.
After formation on Sunday Agatha quickly gained power and it was predicted that he would make landfall as powerful A Category 3 hurricane on Monday afternoon or evening, the US National Hurricane Center said.
It was moving to area near Puerto Escondido and Puerto Angel in southern state of Oaxaca – a region including laid downback tourist resorts of Huatulko, Mazunte and Zipolite.
The Hurricane Center said Agatha could “bring extremely dangerous storm surge and life-threatening winds.”
Late Sunday Agatha maximum steady winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) – just 1 mph under threshold for Category 3, the hurricane center said in a statement. The center of the storm was about 140 miles (225 km) to the southwest. of Puerto Angel and heading northeast at 6 miles per hour (9 km/h).
Hurricane warning was in effect between port of Salina Cruz and Lagunas de Chacahua.
Civil defense office in Oaxaca said the hurricane outer groups were already landing on the coast on Sunday. office published photos of fishermen pull their boats up on beaches to protect them from the storm.
Municipal authorities in Huatulco ordered to “absolutely shut down” of all the beaches of the resort and its famous “seven bays”, many of which can only be reached by boat. They are also closed local schools and began to install up emergency storm shelters.
To the East in Zipolite, long known for beach and bohemian atmosphere without clothes, personnel in small Hotel Casa Kalmar collected up outdoor furniture and put up wooden storm shutters to protect against strong winds out cup windows and doors.
“The wind is the biggest concern here.” Hotel manager said Sylvia Ranfagni.
Only with one guest – and a lot of cancellations due to hurricane – Ranfanyi planned to go out Agatha v. property which is three to four blocks from the beach.
“I’m going to shut myself in here with my animals,” she said, meaning dog and cats.
government Mexican Turtle Center former slaughterhouse turned into a conservation center in Mazunte – announced it was closed to visitors until further notice because of Hurricane.
US National Hurricane Center says storm expected drop 10 to 16 inches (250 to 400 millimeters) of rain on parts of Oaxaca, with isolated highs of 20 inches (500 millimeters), which is a threat of flash floods and landslides.
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