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| Hurricane Patricia Nears Mexico With 190 M.P.H. Winds | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| MEXICO CITY — The strongest hurricane to ever assault the Western Hemisphere headed toward Mexico’s southwest Pacific coast on Friday, transforming hotels with tourists into makeshift shelters, shuttering schools, closing airports and sending inhabitants racing to bus stations to flee inland. | |
| The hurricane, Patricia, was packing winds of about 190 miles per hour and threatening monster waves as it moved closer to the coastline, dotted with a mélange of tiny fishing villages and five-star resorts in cities like Puerto Vallarta. | |
| The government of Mexico declared a state of emergency in dozens of municipalities in the states of Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco. Residents stacked sandbags in front of properties and rushed to grocery stores to stock up on supplies. | The government of Mexico declared a state of emergency in dozens of municipalities in the states of Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco. Residents stacked sandbags in front of properties and rushed to grocery stores to stock up on supplies. |
| Patricia was expected to make landfall by early evening, according to Mexico’s national weather service, with the eye passing along the small beach towns of Playa Perula and Playa Chamela, both in the state of Jalisco. | Patricia was expected to make landfall by early evening, according to Mexico’s national weather service, with the eye passing along the small beach towns of Playa Perula and Playa Chamela, both in the state of Jalisco. |
| A range of officials took to the airwaves to urge residents to leave the area or prepare for Patricia, which transformed suddenly from a tropical storm on Tuesday evening into a Category 5 storm — the fiercest — overnight. The speed of that transformation took meteorologists by surprise. | A range of officials took to the airwaves to urge residents to leave the area or prepare for Patricia, which transformed suddenly from a tropical storm on Tuesday evening into a Category 5 storm — the fiercest — overnight. The speed of that transformation took meteorologists by surprise. |
| “Wind speeds in a hurricane of this nature, what they do is toss up every loose object in their path,” said Roberto Ramírez de la Parra, the director of Mexico’s National Water Commission, which oversees the nation’s weather service. “The risk to people’s physical safety and to their lives is very high.” | “Wind speeds in a hurricane of this nature, what they do is toss up every loose object in their path,” said Roberto Ramírez de la Parra, the director of Mexico’s National Water Commission, which oversees the nation’s weather service. “The risk to people’s physical safety and to their lives is very high.” |
| “In the next couple of hours, everybody must seek shelter.” | “In the next couple of hours, everybody must seek shelter.” |
| Patricia was so enormous that Scott Kelly, the American astronaut aboard the international space station, sent a Twitter photo of the storm from space with the warning: “It’s massive. Be careful!” | Patricia was so enormous that Scott Kelly, the American astronaut aboard the international space station, sent a Twitter photo of the storm from space with the warning: “It’s massive. Be careful!” |
| The American Embassy in Mexico City issued its own warning to citizens in-country, urging those in threatened areas to “make preparations immediately to protect life and property.” | The American Embassy in Mexico City issued its own warning to citizens in-country, urging those in threatened areas to “make preparations immediately to protect life and property.” |
| The storm was expected to dump anywhere from six to 20 inches of rain in the affected states, and could result in flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas. | The storm was expected to dump anywhere from six to 20 inches of rain in the affected states, and could result in flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas. |
| The sudden escalation of the storm also caught tourists off guard. Many scrambled to catch buses since airports in several towns were closed. Cecilia Rangel, a marketing consultant from Mexico City on vacation with four friends near Puerto Vallarta, had no such luck. | The sudden escalation of the storm also caught tourists off guard. Many scrambled to catch buses since airports in several towns were closed. Cecilia Rangel, a marketing consultant from Mexico City on vacation with four friends near Puerto Vallarta, had no such luck. |
| As news of the approaching storm spread, she and her friends looked for a way to escape the city. But with the airport closed and buses filled, they braced to wait out the storm out at the Grand Mayan, a luxury hotel complex at the northern tip of Puerto Vallarta’s majestic bay. | As news of the approaching storm spread, she and her friends looked for a way to escape the city. But with the airport closed and buses filled, they braced to wait out the storm out at the Grand Mayan, a luxury hotel complex at the northern tip of Puerto Vallarta’s majestic bay. |
| “Everybody knows that there are hurricanes in October but you never think it’s going to hit you,” she said by phone. “The hotel told us to leave if we could, but if not don’t worry.” | “Everybody knows that there are hurricanes in October but you never think it’s going to hit you,” she said by phone. “The hotel told us to leave if we could, but if not don’t worry.” |
| The guests were told to report to the hotel’s windowless service building at 1 p.m., carrying only valuables. Throughout the morning, guests — many of them older Americans — filled the hotel’s tiny supermarket to stock up on supplies. Other hotels also reported staff and guests stocking up on water and other nonperishable goods. | The guests were told to report to the hotel’s windowless service building at 1 p.m., carrying only valuables. Throughout the morning, guests — many of them older Americans — filled the hotel’s tiny supermarket to stock up on supplies. Other hotels also reported staff and guests stocking up on water and other nonperishable goods. |
| “First there is the news, then you look for a way to get out, then there’s fear,” said Mrs. Rangel. “At the end you follow everything the hotel tells you.” | “First there is the news, then you look for a way to get out, then there’s fear,” said Mrs. Rangel. “At the end you follow everything the hotel tells you.” |
| Patricia is the third serious storm to hit Mexico’s Pacific coast in recent years, but by all appearances seemed to be shaping up to be the worst. Although the government is well-prepared to handle hurricanes, both Hurricane Ingrid, which cut off Acapulco for a week in 2013, and Hurricane Odile, which wreaked widespread damage on the coastal resort of Los Cabos, tested the government’s ability to repair infrastructure and restore basic services. | Patricia is the third serious storm to hit Mexico’s Pacific coast in recent years, but by all appearances seemed to be shaping up to be the worst. Although the government is well-prepared to handle hurricanes, both Hurricane Ingrid, which cut off Acapulco for a week in 2013, and Hurricane Odile, which wreaked widespread damage on the coastal resort of Los Cabos, tested the government’s ability to repair infrastructure and restore basic services. |
| Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in the United States, said that as a Category 5 storm, Patricia was likely to inflict catastrophic damage and leave stricken areas uninhabitable for weeks or months. | Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist and spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in the United States, said that as a Category 5 storm, Patricia was likely to inflict catastrophic damage and leave stricken areas uninhabitable for weeks or months. |
| The World Meteorological Organization warned that the hurricane’s strength was comparable to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which caused devastation in the Philippines in 2013. | The World Meteorological Organization warned that the hurricane’s strength was comparable to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which caused devastation in the Philippines in 2013. |
| As the storm approached, posts on Instagram showed people trying to leave Puerto Vallarta. One user posted a photograph of a message from a nearby resort that warned people to return home for their safety. | As the storm approached, posts on Instagram showed people trying to leave Puerto Vallarta. One user posted a photograph of a message from a nearby resort that warned people to return home for their safety. |
| “If this is not possible, please wait for further instructions for a possible evacuation,” the notice read. | “If this is not possible, please wait for further instructions for a possible evacuation,” the notice read. |
| Gabriela Ney, 32, a teacher in Puerto Vallarta, said in a telephone interview that she was holed up at home with her husband and 1-year-old, in a two-story house about a mile from the sea. She said she did not live an evacuation zone so she decided to stay put. And leaving was almost impossible anyway, she said, because by noon there were no bus tickets left or gasoline to buy. | Gabriela Ney, 32, a teacher in Puerto Vallarta, said in a telephone interview that she was holed up at home with her husband and 1-year-old, in a two-story house about a mile from the sea. She said she did not live an evacuation zone so she decided to stay put. And leaving was almost impossible anyway, she said, because by noon there were no bus tickets left or gasoline to buy. |
| “The plan is that if the water starts to rise, we’ll go up to the second floor. The water will have to rise a lot for us to flee,” she said. | “The plan is that if the water starts to rise, we’ll go up to the second floor. The water will have to rise a lot for us to flee,” she said. |
| She recalled unpleasant memories of Hurricane Paulina in 1997, a Category 3 storm that she said was followed by intense water shortages and respiratory illnesses. | She recalled unpleasant memories of Hurricane Paulina in 1997, a Category 3 storm that she said was followed by intense water shortages and respiratory illnesses. |
| “And that was a three!” she said. “That’s my only basis for comparison, so all I keep thinking is if that Category 3 was that bad, I don’t even want to think of a five. We are all very alarmed.” | “And that was a three!” she said. “That’s my only basis for comparison, so all I keep thinking is if that Category 3 was that bad, I don’t even want to think of a five. We are all very alarmed.” |
| In the United States, only three Category 5 storms that made landfall have been recorded, Mr. Feltgen said: a 1935 hurricane that killed more than 400 people; Hurricane Camille, which hit Mississippi and killed 244 people in 1969; and Hurricane Andrew, which hit Florida in 1992, killing at least 10 people there and three in the Bahamas. | In the United States, only three Category 5 storms that made landfall have been recorded, Mr. Feltgen said: a 1935 hurricane that killed more than 400 people; Hurricane Camille, which hit Mississippi and killed 244 people in 1969; and Hurricane Andrew, which hit Florida in 1992, killing at least 10 people there and three in the Bahamas. |
| But Hurricane Patricia is “uncharted territory,” Jim Cantore, a meteorologist with the Weather Channel, said on Twitter. | But Hurricane Patricia is “uncharted territory,” Jim Cantore, a meteorologist with the Weather Channel, said on Twitter. |
| “All the precautions to protect life and property should be completed now,” Mr. Feltgen said. “People need to be in a safe place and stay hunkered down until this storm is over.” | “All the precautions to protect life and property should be completed now,” Mr. Feltgen said. “People need to be in a safe place and stay hunkered down until this storm is over.” |