At least 16 people died in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero following tropical storm ‘John’, which put vast areas of the south and west of the country on alert due to strong winds, torrential rain and flooding.
Among the most affected states, in addition to Oaxaca and Guerrero, are Michoacán and Colima, reported the Mexican newspaper ‘Mienio’, also highlighting the critical situation in which the city of Acapulco finds itself, where the main access roads are affected by floods and landslides.
The Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) said it has deployed a special brigade “that will remain vigilant this weekend and for as long as necessary” to ensure that prices in Acapulco supermarkets “are respected” after the floods and ” no abuses are committed against consumers”.
In Acapulco, around 1,900 people had to leave their homes, according to data from the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), collected by ‘La Jornada’. The ministry also states that more than 6,000 National Guard soldiers and more than 3,000 army personnel were deployed to the field to “assist and support” the civilian population affected by the effects of ‘John’.
Although this meteorological phenomenon appears to have weakened, changing from a hurricane to a tropical storm, several areas of the country are still at risk, which is why the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) – at the request of Civil Protection – “increased the suspension of electricity supply in flood-affected areas of Guerrero until conditions are safe.”
More than 100 thousand people without electricity
The CFE reported that, in this state, around 102,300 people are currently without electricity supply, which represents 7% of the total number of electricity network users in the state.
The National Meteorological Service (SMN) warned that “Tropical Storm ‘John’ continues to move slowly and erratically off the Mexican central Pacific coast”, and maintained the forecast of “extraordinary occasional showers”, “torrential” rains ” and “strong to intense” rains, as well as intense gusts of wind and waves in different parts of the country.
“The precipitation generated by the tropical cyclone will be electrical discharges, strong gusts of wind and hail. Greater intensity rains could generate landslides, increased levels of rivers and streams, as well as overflows and floods in low-lying areas of the mentioned states, Therefore, the population is appealed to respect the warnings from the National Meteorological Service, the National Water Commission (Conagua) and follow the recommendations of Civil Protection, given the conditions of rain, strong winds and high waves”, said the SMN on Friday -fair.
