Severe weather conditions continue to disrupt the plans of the inhabitants of our planet. This time Americans suffered from a hurricane, and residents of Japan were warned of an impending tsunami.
Hurricane John slams into Mexico’s southern coast
Hurricane John hit the southern Pacific coast of Mexico on Monday, becoming a powerful category three storm. Local authorities warned of life-threatening storm surges and the potential for catastrophic flash flooding.
The hurricane brought ferocious winds and potentially “extreme” rainfall after turning from a tropical storm to a powerful hurricane in a matter of hours, officials said.
Hurricane John hit the town of Marquelia, located in the tourist state of Guerrero, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 km/h) at about 9:15 p.m. Central Standard Time, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said in a statement.
The rapid strengthening of the hurricane appeared to take authorities by surprise, and they rushed to update warnings for residents and issue evacuation orders for those living along the coast.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged coastal residents to seek higher ground, and the main emergency agency declared a red alert level for parts of Guerrero state and the neighbouring state of Oaxaca. The president wrote on social media:
“Don’t forget that life is the most important thing – material things can be replaced.”
According to the Conagua National Water Commission, the storm is expected to bring “extraordinary” rainfall exceeding 250 mm (10 inches) to parts of the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca. It also forecast more than 150 mm (6 inches) of rainfall for Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state.
Heavy rains caused by “John” could cause “significant and possibly catastrophic, life-threatening flooding and landslides” in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and southeastern Guerrero through Thursday, the NHC warned. A hurricane watch has also been declared for parts of Cuba and the US.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 41 counties ahead of the arrival of Hurricane John.
Japan advises remote islands of potential tsunami
Meanwhile, Japan’s remote Izu islands south of Tokyo were hit by a small tsunami Tuesday, with no damage reported, after a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near the unpopulated island in the Pacific Ocean.
The 50cm-high tsunami reached Hachijo Island, one of the Izu Islands, about 40 minutes after the quake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Damage from the tsunami and earthquake has not been confirmed, state broadcaster NHK reported. The meteorological agency said earlier that residents of Izu and Ogasawara islands should be prepared that a tsunami up to 1m high could hit the coast.
