Strongest Hurricane Patricia hits Mexico

The center, however, said that Patricia was “still strong” and a major hurricane over southwestern Mexico.

In less than 16 hours, what was a unsafe storm when it hit the coast had broken apart to an unnamed tropical depression moving across the mountains of Mexico.

[Updated] While it bears no danger at all to Bermuda, the people of Mexico are not so lucky, with Hurricane Patricia bearing down on them carrying maximum sustained winds of a staggering 305km/h [190mph], which numerous global reports said makes it the strongest hurricane ever recorded.

In La Manzanilla, the storm tossed hundreds of coconuts inside the seafront church as wind and water broke the door. “‘I saw it fly, and I saw it land in my patio, ‘ he said”.

“It is very important that the population stays in the shelters, the security forces will be patrolling to protect their homes”, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said.

“In Puerto Vallarta, we have reports that all is calm, hotels are operating normally, the infrastructure wasn’t damaged and both national and worldwide tourists are safe”.

Several hotels in Manzanillo were damaged as the hurricane made landfall.

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said tens of thousands of American citizens were believed to be vacationing or living in areas likely to be affected by the storm.

The wood and brick homes with tin and palm leaf roofs of 40 families in the village of Chamela were blown away when Patricia made landfall as a Category Five monster in Jalisco state late Friday.

Officials said no casualties have been reported. But there was no major damage and operations were set to resume on Saturday afternoon.

Texas is also expected to receive 7 to 10 inches of rain in areas south of Dallas, with the possibility of flash flooding. “We’re going to a shelter shortly”, tourist gift shop worker David Gonzalez told Reuters.

Four hours after landfall, Patricia was downgraded to a Category 4, and its weakening continued overnight until it was a Category 1 early Saturday, and now just a tropical storm with sustained of winds less than 50 m.p.h.

Hurricane Patricia is the strongest hurricane ever recorded to hit Mexico.

Patricia has been compared to Typhoon Haiyan, which barreled across the Philippines in 2013 killing more than 7000 people, and Hurricane Wilma, which hit the Atlantic basin in 2005, killing 87.

In the major port of Manzanillo, Colima state, soldiers shoveled sand off the city’s main boulevard while residents, a few riding around in bicycles, surveyed damage that included uprooted trees and street signs.