Highlights
• Hurricane Patricia made landfall as a Category 5 storm at 18:09 local time on 23 October 2015 near the city of Cuixmala, Jalisco, between the Bay of Chamela and Melaque, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) west of the major port Manzanillo, in the western state of Jalisco with sustained winds of 270km/h and gusts of 315km/h.
• By 10:15 local time of 24 October, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical depression near northwest of Zacatecas.
• So far, no major injuries or deaths have been reported.
• More than 50,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas ahead of the storm.
Improving weather conditions have allowed much of the population to return to their homes.
• The three levels of the Mexican Government (federal, state, and municipal) are conducting assessments and monitoring the situation on the ground in affected areas.
• Health services are rapidly resuming their functions to pre- hurricane levels.
• PAHO has activated its Institutional Response to Emergencies and Disasters at the Country Office and the Emergency Operations Center in Washington, D.C. in coordination with WHO HQ in Geneva. PAHO/WHO Representative in Mexico and the Disaster Focal Point have been in constant communication with health authorities in Mexico, and are assessing possible future risks due to the emergency.
• The Mexican Government has expressed appreciation for support and offers of help from PAHO/WHO and the international community; but has indicated that local and federal capabilities will be sufficient to meet the needs and restore the situation.
• The Mexican President lifted the preventative alert issued for Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit indicating the beginning of the recuperation phase.