Hurricane Erick weakens as residents clear debris

Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca as a Category 3 hurricane early Thursday, having been downgraded from a Category 4 shortly beforehand.

It hit with wind speeds of up to 205 kph (around 130 mph), however, by midafternoon, after moving inland, Erick weakened to a tropical storm, with sustained winds weakening to 85 kph.

Officials cautioned that Erick’s intense rains remained dangerous.

The US National Hurricane Center has warned that life-threatening flooding and mudslides are likely, particularly in areas with steep terrain.

They have predicted that Guerrero state could receive up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain, while its neighboring states, Oaxaca and Michoacan, could expect up to 4 inches.

Erick leaves some damage, but no injuries

After the hurricane made landfall, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, “The people have reacted very well so far.”

According to reports, Erick left flooded streets and damaged boats and buildings in Oaxaca, but residents of the coastal towns have started cleaning up the debris.

At a press conference, Laura Velazquez, the head of Mexico’s civil protection agency, said there were no immediate reports of deaths.

She added that two hospitals had been damaged and that the power supply had been compromised.

Meanwhile, the state-owned utility company CFE reported that more than 123,000 users in Oaxaca had lost power and that service had been restored to 26% of them by late morning.

Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara said that roads and highways had been significantly damaged.