Twin Storms; Hurricanes Manuel and Ingrid

Hurricane Manuel  3:45 a.m. EDT September 19, 2013 (Image from NOAA)

On Sunday 15th September, two category 1 hurricanes battered the east and west coasts of Mexico within 24 hours of each other. There have been 80 confirmed deaths 58 missing and over 220,000 people have been affected by the storms, many of whom are tourists. The last time two hurricanes struck this close together was in 1956.

Manuel reached sustained wind speeds of 75 km/h before crashing into Guerrero Coastline. Most severely hit was the coastal resort town of Acapulco where 1000's queue for food rations and to be air lifted to safety. There have also been great problems further afield. Small villages such as Atoyac and La Pintada have been pummeled with torrential rain along with the rest of the Sinaloa state, causing flash floods and life-threatening landslides. The small fishing town of Yameto has been evacuated in preparation for the storms crossing also. Unfortunately progress is slow getting people out of these villages as one of the major highways between Acapulco and Mexico City has been cut off and bridges have been damaged.

Ingrid reached the coast late Sunday/early Monday at La Pesca in the west with top wind speeds of around 60km/h. Massive flooding has caused more than 20,000 homes to go without power and running water. There has also been looting of TV's and other goods from storms abandoned to flood waters. There is a lack of clean water and a high chance of diseases appearing in the region.

To top it all off, Hurricane Humberto, which 'dissipated' into a small tropical storm, has regained it's hurricane status and is currently situated in the center of the Pacific Ocean. This storm is not predicted to hit the shores of Mexico or any other country, however, after Manuel and Ingrid, Humberto is a little too close for comfort.

Further Reading List:
www.news.com.au
www.mirror.co.uk
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
http://www.wunderground.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/