Trail of Destruction: Hurricanes John and Helene Bring Devastating Floods and Loss of Life

The passage of hurricanes John and Helene has left dozens of deaths, flooding and multiple damages in Mexico and the United States (US), respectively.

In case Johnit delivered a death toll of 22; 18 in Guerrero, three within Oaxaca and another is Michoacan.

For his part, Helene It left 44 deaths, distributed in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

John’s destruction has particularly hit the tourist port of Acapulco, which was still recovering from the devastating Hurricane Otis on October 25, 2023, and is once again suffering the damage of another natural phenomenon with the loss of homes, roads and human lives.

Hundreds of people have been affected and have had to walk through the rain and floods in search of food. The Diamante zone, an area that concentrates the main five-star hotels in Acapulco, is under water and with damaged infrastructure and boats.

Around 25 thousand Army and National Guard soldiers were in the area helping the victims, reported President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

In addition, at least 30 towns in Oaxaca remain cut off due to landslides and river flooding, while Michoacán has reported an increase in the water level of streams; one of them, the Río Grande in Morelia, caused the death of a child.

About the a hurricane Heleneits damage balance is 4.6 million people without electricity in 10 states; almost a thousand flights canceled in international airports such as Charlotte, Atlanta or Tampa; thousands of people getting rid of debris and weeds, and material damage estimated between 15 billion and 26 billion dollars.

John degraded yesterday afternoon as a remnant low pressure, leaving rain and clouds along the Pacific, including Jalisco. In the case of Helene, it weakened to a post-tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour, but is still producing floods and emergency situations.

John’s damage has demoralized the residents of Acapulco. “We are desperate. We have not yet recovered from Hurricane Otis and right now we are in a situation that seems worse,” lamented Bárbara Encinas while standing in line in front of a supermarket to get food.

Marta Soteldo, another Acapulco resident, said she felt “a lot of panic.” “I got sick of my nerves because two days before it had been very windy, just as (hurricane) Otis (in 2023) started and raised dust, sheets, everything. The children became hysterical,” he said.

Oaxacans are also suffering the consequences of the natural disaster. “This is a chicken coop where my animals were, a lot of mud, because unfortunately all my animals were also swept away (by the hurricane),” declared Cristina García, a resident of San Antonio, a town in the municipality of Villa de Tututepec, Oaxaca , one of the towns affected by the cyclone.

Regarding Helene, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that the phenomenon left “historic and catastrophic flooding,” and maintains the maximum warning in areas such as the city of Atlanta.

“There’s no way we’re getting through this place.”

At least 30 towns remain cut off by landslides and river flooding after John passed through in Oaxaca, where there are three deaths from the cyclone, which made landfall on Monday in Guerrero as a category 3 hurricane and is now moving as a remaining low pressure.

The victims are Herlindo García García, from San José Peñasco, who died when he was swept away by a river, and Teresa López, who died when her house was buried by a landslide in Amoltepec, in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca.

In addition to them, the governor of Oaxaca, Salomón Jara, reported on Thursday the discovery of the body of a five-year-old child.

These deaths are added to the 13 confirmed in Guerrero, So the total phenomenon has left 16 people dead.

Residents of Coyuche and Emiliano Zapata, belonging to the municipality of Jamiltepec, were left incommunicado due to roadblocks and flooding.

Some of its residents have to walk through the hills to get supplies or to keep their property safe from the flooding of the Verde River.

Juan Antonio Granados, a resident of Coyuche, is one of those affected, as he, together with his family, has to walk up to three kilometers to be safe.

“We are going to the other town that is isolated in the middle of two lagoons, Emiliano Zapata. Because the traffic, we go around the flood, the road, we turn it here,” he said.

At the entrance to Coyuche, a municipality with an Afro-Mexican population located 30 kilometers from federal highway 200, the road has been disrupted since Monday.

“The pass is closed, two trees fell, it’s flooded, there’s no way for us to pass through this place,” added Granados.

In San Antonio Tututepec the Verde River also flooded and the water soaked farm animals and flooded houses.

For Cristina García, the flooding of the river left her without her chickens which provide food for her and her three children.

“This is a chicken coop, where my animals were, a lot of mud, because unfortunately all my small animals were also swept away by (the hurricane), I had no time at night, in the early morning when it came the water in,” he said.

In this community of 300 people, more than half of its residents placed their property on the civic agency’s esplanade while the storm passed.

“Well, with the help of citizens, we removed everything from the house in case the river rises,” explained Brenda Gómez, a resident of San Antonio.

On the coast of Oaxaca, at least 50 municipalities remain on alert due to the continued heavy rains.

Federal Highway 200, in the Pinotepa Nacional-Puerto Escondido section, is now open to traffic, but there are sections that are almost impossible to cross.

John is now moving as a remaining low pressure over Michoacán, after re-emerging on Wednesday from its remains, after making landfall on Monday as a category 3 in Guerrero.

EFE

Tropical storm dissipates without damage in Jalisco

Yesterday the National Hurricane Center officially declared that Tropical Cyclone John has dissipated, leaving only his cloudy remnants, which maintain their path over the Pacific coast.

It should be noted that despite the spread of the phenomenon, The residual cloudiness will continue to cause rain in different regions of Jalisco, Therefore, the population is encouraged to follow the instructions of local authorities.

“It’s very heartbreaking.”

Emergency crews rushed yesterday to rescue people trapped in their flooded homes after Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, producing a massive storm surge and leaving millions of consumers in several states without power. At least 40 people have died in four states, according to reports.

According to the count, the deaths occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Georgia Gov. said. Brian Kemp that dozens of people are still trapped in buildings damaged by Helene. Authorities “are having difficulty getting to some locations,” so crews, with chain saws, “were working to clear the roads,” Kemp said at a news conference.

The meteor made landfall Thursday night with maximum sustained winds of 225 km/h in the rural Big Bend area, home to fishing towns and vacation spots, where the Panhandle region and the Florida peninsula meet. But damage extended hundreds of miles to the north, with flooding as far away as North Carolina, where a lake used to film scenes for the movie “Dirty Dancing” overflowed a reservoir. Several hospitals in south Georgia lost power, and one in Tennessee was closed.

“Thank God we both lived to tell the tale,” said Rhonda Bell after a huge oak tree outside her home in Valdosta, Georgia, fell on her, crashing through the roof.

Videos posted on social media show sheets of rain and siding falling off buildings in Perry, Florida, near where the storm hit. A local news station showed a demolished house, and curfews were put in place in many communities.

“It’s very heartbreaking,” said Stephen Tucker after the tornado tore off the new roof of his church in Perry, Florida. It had to be replaced last year after Hurricane Idalia.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said so the damage caused by Helene in the area appears to be greater than the combined damage from Idalia and the hurricane Debbie in August. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said.

President Joe Biden said he was praying for survivors as the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency went to the area. The agency has deployed more than 1,500 workers, and by the end of the morning, they had collaborated in 400 rescues.

Many of the people stranded in places like Tampa can only be reached by boat, and authorities elsewhere warned that the water could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris.

“If you are trapped and need help, call rescuers – DO NOT TRY TO GO THROUGH THE FLOOD YOURSELF,” the police station warned in a post on Facebook, raising the question. concern that the tide could cause another wave of up to 3.05 metres.

More than four million homes and businesses were without power Friday morning in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.

Kemp said at least 11 people from his state had died. At least six others died in South Carolina, two in Florida and two more in North Carolina.

AP