Mexico’s Navy shut nine ports on Sunday, Oct. 11, as Category 4 Hurricane Simon moved north-northwest along the Pacific coast. Authorities evacuated people and opened shelters for 579 residents in Jalisco, Colima and Nayarit. Manzanillo, Mexico’s busiest container port, was among the closures. The Navy said it wouldn’t reopen the ports until it lifted the restrictions.
Ports and transport disrupted
The Navy, known as Semar, halted navigation at San Blas, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas, as well as five ports on the Baja California peninsula, from Ensenada to Guerrero Negro. It also closed six more harbours to small vessels, including Barra de Navidad, Nuevo Vallarta and Zihuatanejo.
Airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico closed Manzanillo International Airport to all flights until 2 p.m. Sunday. Puerto Vallarta’s airport had already shut. Officials hadn’t said whether Manzanillo’s closure would be extended. Cargo importers were told to expect berthing delays at Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas until the Navy reopened those ports. Lázaro Cárdenas has rail links north.
Puerto Vallarta sat within the hurricane warning area. Travellers were urged to check with airlines before travelling to Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo. U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacán were advised to follow local civil-protection orders and stay indoors.
Evacuations and emergency response
The federal Security Ministry (SSPC) said it had deployed 22,589 personnel across Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit and Michoacán. The deployment included 1,470 vehicles, 323 heavy machines and 18 aircraft. The Navy placed Colima in the relief phase of its Plan Marina emergency plan.
Jalisco reported 321 people evacuated and 256 people staying in 54 temporary shelters. Colima reported 143 evacuees in six shelters, while Nayarit had 115 people in 15 shelters. Michoacán opened 39 shelters. The reported total of 579 people included those evacuated in Jalisco and Colima and those sheltered in Nayarit.
A ferry carried 80 residents from Yelapa, a village south of Puerto Vallarta reached mainly by boat. Navy personnel moved 55 people, including 25 children, to a shelter in La Huerta. Officials suspended non-essential activity in 24 priority municipalities. Jalisco sent 200 rescuers to the coast.
President Claudia Sheinbaum urged coastal residents to stay sheltered until officials said the danger had passed. In Punta Pérula, rain had fallen since Saturday night, flooding many areas and paralysing roads. No victims had been reported there so far, and officials reported no deaths as of Sunday afternoon. Officials hadn’t provided figures for power outages or damage.
Storm warning and forecast
At noon local time (18:00 UTC), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) placed Simon’s eye 85 miles (140 km) west-northwest of Manzanillo and about 65 miles (100 km) south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes. The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds reached about 140 mph (220 km/h), and it was moving at 7 mph (11 km/h). Winds had eased slightly from the 145 mph reported in the morning.
The NHC said the “core of extremely dangerous Category 4 Hurricane Simon” was moving parallel to the coast and expected to pass very near it Sunday afternoon and night, staying close on Monday. A hurricane warning covered Punta San Telmo to El Roblito and the Islas Marías; hurricane conditions were likely already occurring in the southern part of the warning area.
The NHC forecast 8 to 16 inches of additional rain, with isolated totals of 30 inches possible in Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco. It warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially on steep terrain, and said confidence in the track forecast was low as guidance shifted offshore. The next full advisory was due at 3 p.m. local time (21:00 UTC).