PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico, (Reuters) – Hurricane Patricia, one of the most powerful storms on record, struck Mexico’s Pacific coast yesterday with destructive winds that tore down trees, moved cars and forced thousands of people to flee homes and beachfront resorts.
With winds of 160 miles per hour (266 km per hour), the Category 5 hurricane had western Mexico on high alert, with the popular resort of Puerto Vallarta and others on the coast opening emergency shelters as hotels were closed.
Driving rains sparked flash flooding and tourists piled into makeshift dormitories to avoid Patricia, compared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to Typhoon Haiyan, which killed thousands of people in the Philippines in 2013.
“The winds are really strong. It’s amazing, even the cars are moving,” said Laura Barajas, a 30-year-old hotel worker from the major cargo port of Manzanillo near where the storm hit.
There were no initial reports of casualties after the storm hit northwest of Manzanillo. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Patricia could dissipate on Saturday as its winds will be sapped by the mountains of western Mexico.
In Puerto Vallarta, the heart of a string of resorts that range from low-end mega hotels to exclusive villas attracting tech billionaires and pop stars, loudspeakers had blared orders to evacuate hotels ahead of Patricia’s arrival.
The streets emptied as police sirens wailed.
U.S. weather experts said Patricia was the strongest storm yet registered in the Western Hemisphere, and said the unprecedented hurricane could have a catastrophic impact.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said it was hard to predict what damage would be done by the massive storm, which could be seen barreling into Mexico from outer space.
“But one thing we’re certain of is that we’re facing a hurricane of a scale we’ve never ever seen,” he said.
Writing from 249 miles (401 km) above Earth on the International Space Station, U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted an imposing image of the giant storm along with the message: “Stay safe below, Mexico.”
