At least five people have died in Mexico after former tropical storm Rachel and Hurricane Simon hit the Pacific coast, Euronews reports; six are missing in Baja California.
The toll is still moving. Al Jazeera, reporting earlier on Monday 12 October, counted two deaths and quoted Baja California’s governor as saying at least 10 people were missing, so figures should be treated as preliminary. Al Jazeera adds that experts warn the toll from both storms could rise.
Baja California: Floods and Rescues
According to Euronews, Rachel, now a post-tropical cyclone, has killed at least four people in Baja California, among them a 13-year-old girl, two women and a four-year-old boy. Rescue teams are searching in the coastal city of Ensenada, where floods have swept away vehicles and damaged homes. Landslides and overflowing rivers have cut off some communities.
The Mexican army rescued 32 people by helicopter, including 22 foreign nationals trapped on a ranch in Ensenada, the report says. Authorities said the group included German and US citizens, as well as several missionaries. Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila said around 14,000 federal and state personnel have been deployed. In the south-western United States, Euronews adds, most flood warnings have been lifted after surges over the weekend caused by Rachel’s remnants in Las Vegas.
Simon Off the Coast
Simon was a Category 2 hurricane late on Monday, with sustained winds of up to 155 kilometres per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center as cited by Euronews. Its eye has stayed offshore, but outer bands have lashed communities between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific near Puerto Vallarta, whose international airport suspended operations until Tuesday morning.
In Guerrero state, Simon has brought down trees and power lines, blocked roads and flooded homes in several coastal communities, including Acapulco. Governor Evelyn Salgado confirmed that a 71-year-old man died in the state capital, Chilpancingo, when a wall collapsed. The Hurricane Center has warned of potentially life-threatening flooding and landslides before a possible landfall on Friday; Al Jazeera reported forecasters saying landfall could come on Thursday or Friday.
An Active Pacific Season
Al Jazeera reports that the north-eastern and central Pacific is having a record storm season, helped in part by El Niño, with 21 named storms so far. It says Simon pushed accumulated cyclone energy, a measure of the strength and duration of storms, past the previous high set in 2018.
Why It Matters
With Simon forecast to keep its strength for much of the week, officials are dealing with damage from one storm while preparing for another. What to watch next is the final toll from Baja California, the track of Simon’s landfall and how the emergency response copes with both.
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