Dramatic images and videos showing the power of Hurricane Lidia are emerging from Mexico after the Category 4 hurricane made landfall south of the popular resort town of Puerto Vallarta along the country’s west-central coast Tuesday night.
(Proteccion Civil Ac) .- At least two people were killed in the storm that lashed the area with winds up to 140 mph and torrential rain that led to flooding and mudslides.
Photos posted to the Proteccion Civil Ac Facebook page showed the Marabasco River in Cihuatlan overflowing its banks and flooding local communities with several feet of water. Officials in the Facebook post said that evacuations were taking place and support was being provided to those who were told to leave the area.
Other photos showed vehicles attempting to drive across flooded roadways while residents looked on from adjacent sidewalks.
Lidia struggled to strengthen as it approached Mexico and finally became a Category 1 hurricane Monday night. The storm then rapidly intensified throughout the day Tuesday and reached Category 4 status just before landfall south of Puerto Vallarta near Las Penitas in Jalisco.
Videos from Puerto Vallarta around the time the storm was making landfall showed the destructive winds lashing the region, with palm trees swaying and bending while torrential, wind-driven rain battered the area.
Bright blue flashes could be seen in the distance as transformers exploded and cut power to residents.
Other photos posted on the Proteccion Civil Ac Facebook page showed workers trying to remove large trees that fell across a roadway during the height of Hurricane Lidia.
According to the Facebook post, roofs were ripped away from buildings and trees were downed along Federal Road 200, which connects Cihuatlan with Puerto Vallarta.
Other photos showed a mudslide that had covered part of Federal Road 200, making it nearly impossible to cross.
Daylight on Wednesday revealed the extent of the damages, particularly in the state of Jalisco in southwestern Mexico.
Photos shared by Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro showed debris swept onto an overpass, as the river below overflowed during Lidia. Plus, roads were littered with rocks as the storm triggered landslides.
TYT Newsroom
