By Troy Merida
ACAPULCO (Reuters) -Storm John started dissipating over Mexico’s Pacific coast on Friday and was downgraded to tropical depression, but its remnants poured a deluge of almost 100 cm (39 inches) of rain on the southern state of Guerrero.
Four days of steady rain dousing the home state of major beach resort Acapulco have almost tripled the downpour from last year’s devastating Hurricane Otis, Mexican authorities said.
Images on social networks showed homes, businesses, roads and vehicles were damaged as rising waters flooded areas in Guerrero and the neighboring state of Michoacan.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that “catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides will continue over portions of southern and south-western Mexico.”
The head of Mexico’s national meteorological service, Alejandra Mendez, said John had soaked Guerrero with more than 95 cm (37 inches) of rain since Monday, while Otis, a Category 5 hurricane, had brought 35 cm (14 inches) of rain.
Otis, which last year killed more than 50 and caused damages of about $15 billion, rapidly grew stronger as it neared Acapulco, while John moved much slower, oscillating between tropical storm and hurricane to saturate a wide swathe of coast.
Acapulco resident Vianey Reyes spoke to Reuters as relatives and neighbors bailed water from their homes and garages.
“We thought there would be some rain, but now we have already seen four or five days of intense downpours,” she said.
In the neighboring state of Michoacan, authorities said John caused rivers to overflow, bringing flooding and damage in several areas.
On Friday afternoon, John was hovering 90 miles (145 km) west of the major cargo port of Lazaro Cardenas, north of Guerrero, while churning northwest at just 5 mph (8 kph), according to the Miami-based forecaster.
The slow-moving storm struck Guerrero at hurricane strength twice in one week, after reforming off the coast in a phenomenon meteorologists have called a “zombie” storm.
(Reporting by Troy Merida en Acapulco, Diego Ore and David Alire Garcia in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez in Mexico City; Editing by Aurora Ellis and Clarence Fernandez)
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