As historic Hurricane Patricia barrels down the coast of Mexico, San Diego has started to feel the impacts of the strongest storm ever recorded.
So far, Alaska Airlines Flight 245 from Puerto Vallarta to San Diego has been canceled due to the storm. Rebecca Bloomfield with Lindbergh Field said the flight has not yet been rescheduled. Bloomfield also said the airport has not yet received word on whether or not the San Diego International Airport will receive any emergency flights of American tourists who are caught-up in the storm.
Remedio Gomez, consul general to San Diego’s Mexican Consulate, told City News Service as many as 79 shelters have been installed in the affected areas around the coast.
“In the next 48 hours, the affected area will receive 40 percent of the precipitation they get in a whole year,” Gomez said. “The Mexican army and navy are the first responders who go to the most remote areas to help the people in those communities.”
At least 34 municipalities in the state of Jalisco have declared a state of emergency, according to Gomez.
Gomez said Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Enrique de la Madrid, is on the ground in Puerto Vallarta working to put safeguards in place for tourists who were unable to escape the hurricane. She said Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara – two areas that will be hit by the storm – are very popular travel destinations for Southern Californian tourists.
The Mexican Consulate in San Diego has not yet been contacted by residents with family members who are in the region where the storm will hit, Gomez said.
Gomez said those who want updates on the storm can call the Spanish call center at 1-855-463-6395.
– Servicio de Noticias de la Ciudad