The dangerous hurricane Lidia was destroyed. demoted in category two out of the five on the Saffir-Simpson scale after having touched land in Mexico Tuesday afternoon, announced the National Hurricane Center (NHC), established in the United States. According to the NHC, the hurricane was located on Wednesday at 03:00 GMT, 50 km from the seaside resort of Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco (west), and was accompanied by continuous winds of 165 km /h. Formed above the Pacific Ocean, Lidia made landfall at 5:50 p.m. local time (11:50 p.m. GMT) when it was classified in category four, with winds of 220 km/h, and was described as “extremely dangerous” by weather services. The hurricane is expected to “rapidly lose strength” overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday as it moves toward northeastern Mexico, the NHC report adds. This organization had previously reported torrential rains, likely to cause flooding and mudslides, and violent and dangerous waves on the shore. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez asked residents in affected areas to stay home. He also recalled that nearly 6,000 soldiers were deployed to help the population. “We need to take refuge in safe places, stay away from low-lying areas, streams, rivers and coasts,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). – “Caught off guard” – Satellite image of Lidia, taken at 6 p.m. GMT on October 8, 2023 from space © NOAA/GOES – Handout In Puerto Vallarta, a city of 220,000 inhabitants where many Mexican and foreign tourists were still taking advantage Tuesday morning of the beach, hundreds of people took shelter from the heavy rains, while businesses barricaded their storefronts with wooden panels. “I was going to go home, but it was too far. There is no more transport, it took me by surprise,” Herson Rodriguez, 35, sports trainer and nutritionist, told AFP. Guillermo Lozano was the last stroller on the Puerto Vallarta promenade before the storm arrived. “Fewer precautions were taken this time,” he believes, judging the reaction of the authorities too late, which has saturated public transport in the port. 
Schools in the region have suspended their classes and businesses have been asked to close from 2:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. GMT).
“Everything that does not have an emergency mission must be closed. We also invite the population of the risk zone to evacuate and take shelter,” declared Gerardo Alonzo Castillon, director of civil protection and of Puerto Vallarta firefighters.
According to the Mexican Meteorological Service, the most affected areas should extend from the state of Colima (west) to that of Nayarit (northwest), where 150 to 250 mm of rain is expected.
The population of the three affected states has been asked to take precautions, take refuge in temporary shelters and move away from the coasts.
Mexico is hit by hurricanes every year on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, generally between May and November.
Merchants barricade the fronts of their stores in anticipation of the arrival of the hurricane Lidia, October 10, 2023 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico © AFP – ULISES RUIZ
On Monday, a tropical storm, named Max, hit the state of Guerrero (south), causing the death of two people, according to regional authorities. Its passage caused floods: a breeder drowned “while trying to save his livestock” and another person died in his vehicle. According to AFP images, people had to take refuge on the roofs of their houses surrounded by water.
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