Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said it was hard to predict what damage would be done by the massive storm, which could be seen barreling into Mexico from outer space.
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Meetings and event suppliers on Mexico’s Pacific coast are reporting business as usual in the aftermath Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane ever measured in the Western Hemisphere.
The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds were recorded at 200mph (325kph) at one point, but the storm weakened as it approached land.
As the storm spun inland, it collapsed into fast-moving bands of rain aimed at already sodden Texas. Storms are expected to hit Houston Sunday.
All were thankful that everyone survived: “It’s something to tell the grandchildren”, Reyna said. And according to Mexican authorities, residents overwhelmingly heeded calls to evacuate and take shelter. When they returned, they found little that was recognizable. The only part left standing was a concrete bathroom at one end. “So much work to build something. This is going to get very ugly and I’m sad I’m not with my family”, said local hotel worker Fernando as he and other staff hunkered down in a room at the Hotel Estancia Dolphins in Punta Perula, locking the door and bracing for the storm’s arrival in near darkness. In the state of Jalisco, in the area nearest to landfall, roof coverings were peeled off by high winds and damage to non-structural elements such as awnings and signage was common. Howling winds toppled trees and telephone posts.
The Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board issued a statement on Saturday afternoon saying that hotels, the cruise port and the airport were all back online and functioning normally and skies were sunny again. Puddles dotted the downtown district, but nothing more than a passing thunderstorm might leave.
Patricia arrived about 65 miles southeast of Vallarta, which was protected by the mountains in the area.
The upper low-pressure system that brought rain to Las Vegas at the start of last week will push precipitation from Patricia well to the east, meteorologist Justin Pullin said. “It ran into the mountains and that completely disrupted the circulation”, Feltgen said.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Hurricane Patricia has weakened to a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (155 kph).
The storm was located about 35 miles (55 km) northeast of the central city of Zacatecas, moving north-northeast at 21 mph (34 kph), the center said.
That such a monster storm could inflict so little harm seemed wondrous.
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Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that insured losses to onshore properties in Mexico from Hurricane Patricia will not exceed $200 million (MXN 3.3 billion).
