MEXICO: Tropical Storm Manuel drenches Mexico's Pacific coast of Sinaloa as it heads northwest after devastating the resort city of Acapulco.

Record ID: 277968

  • Title: MEXICO: Tropical Storm Manuel drenches Mexico's Pacific coast of Sinaloa as it heads northwest after devastating the resort city of Acapulco.
  • Date: 19th September 2013
  • Summary: ALTATA, SINALOA, MEXICO (SEPTEMBER 19, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FLOODED STREETS FLOODED SHACK MEN PUSHING DINGHY IN FLOODED ROAD MAN WALKING IN FLOODED ROAD RAIN ON FLOODED ROAD MORE OF MAN WALKING ON FLOODED ROAD RAIN FALLING ON SUBURBAN STREET PEOPLE WALKING IN HEAVY RAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LOCAL, GUADALUPE SALAZAR, SAYING: "Nobody had thought that it would b
  • Embargoed: 4th October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment
  • Reuters ID: LVA4H01253NPBRW0GT6R34AL422R
  • Story Text: Tropical Storm Manuel lashed Mexico's northwestern state of Sinaloa with heavy rains on Thursday (September 19), prompting evacuations and adding to flash floods that have unleashed chaos across Mexico and killed at least 97 people.
    Storms inundated streets in the town of Altata, forcing residents to brave the treacherous conditions on foot with key transport routes in the town cut.
    Emergency authorities have evacuated hundreds of people from coastal communities in Sinaloa as heavy rains from Manuel beat down on the Pacific state.
    With homes reportedly without electricity, local resident Guadalupe Salazar told Reuters she was surprised by the ferocity of the rains.

    "Nobody had thought that it would be come down so strong. All the time it was normal, there was wind and that sort of thing, but at night it was very strong. We all went to lie down-- there was no electricity or anything-- and when we got out, the water was up to our waists," she said.
    The fresh misery comes after tropical storms Ingrid and Manuel converged on Mexico from the Gulf and the Pacific over the weekend, triggering the flash floods.
    Ingrid dissipated, but Manuel then strengthened and gained hurricane strength before it was downgraded again to a tropical storm. Manuel was expected to weaken further to a tropical depression later on Thursday (September 19).
    Mexico's storms have flooded vast areas of the country since late last week, wrecking roads, destroying bridges and triggering landslides that buried homes and their occupants. Earlier this week, roads became raging rapids in the Pacific resort of Acapulco, stranding some 40,000 tourists.
    With more than a million people reportedly affected across the country, the finance ministry said it had around 12 billion pesos ($925.60 million) available in emergency funding.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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