Two people die in mudslide as Tropical Storm John makes landfall in Mexico | Mexico

Two people have died after former Hurricane John slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, blowing corrugated roofs off homes, causing mudslides and toppling dozens of trees.

It made landfall late Monday night near the city of Punta Maldonado as a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 km/h). It weakened back to tropical storm status early Tuesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h) and was expected to weaken rapidly.

Evelyn Salgado, the governor of the coastal state of Guerrero, said Tuesday that two people were killed when the storm triggered a mudslide that destroyed their home on the remote Tlacoachistlahuaca mountain, further offshore.

The United States National Hurricane Center warned that the storm’s slow pace and heavy rainfall could potentially cause catastrophic flooding and mudslides in some Mexican states.

“Look higher, protect yourself and remember that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here,” Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wrote on the social media platform X.

The storm was expected to hit Punta Maldonado and nearby tourist spots Acapulco and Puerto Escondido before weakening over higher inland areas.

The center said heavy rainfall over the coast of southwestern Mexico during the week was likely to cause “significant and potentially catastrophic, life-threatening flooding and mudslides” in parts of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero states.

By Tuesday morning, the storm was 60 miles (100 km) north-northwest of Acapulco and moving northwest at 8 mph (13 km/h). The storm was forecast to pass over the coastal mountains, even dropping back over the Pacific Ocean, but continue to weaken throughout the day.

Monday’s unexpected surge in strength came as a surprise to scientists, officials and area residents. According to Matt Benz, senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, it’s due to warmer oceans, which are fueling hurricanes.

According to Benz, unexpected increases in the strength of hurricanes are therefore becoming more common.

“These are storms that we haven’t seen before,” he said. “Rapid intensification has happened more often in modern times than in the historical record. So that tells us something is going on.”

Residents of Oaxaca’s coastal cities were on edge as the weather forecast changed and authorities took action.

Laura Velázquez, the federal coordinator for civil protection, told residents of cities on the Pacific coast to evacuate their homes and go to shelters to “protect their own lives and those of their families.”

“It is very important that all citizens in the coastal area… take preventive measures,” Velázquez said.

Oaxaca’s governor said the state government has evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters. The governor also said it has sent 1,000 military and state personnel to deal with the emergency.

In Puerto Escondido, tourists walked in flip-flops through heavy rain and fishermen pulled their boats out of the water. Heavy rains in recent days have already left several roads in the region in a precarious position.

The storm is bad news for the region, which was already hit by Otis in 2023, a similar rapidly strengthening hurricane.

Otis devastated the resort town of Acapulco, where residents had little idea what was coming. One of the fastest intensifying hurricanes ever seen, scientists said at the time that it was a product of changing climate conditions.

Otis blew out the city’s power for days, leaving bodies strewn across the shore as desperate family members searched for lost loved ones. Much of the city was in a state of lawlessness as thousands scavenged in stores for food and water.

López Obrador’s government has been heavily criticized for its slow response to Otis, but authorities have since vowed to respond more quickly.

President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration plans to work on improving an early warning system similar to the one the country has in place for earthquakes.