Ingrid became the second hurricane of the Atlantic storm season off Mexico on Saturday, while Tropical Storm Manuel threatened to cause flash floods and mudslides on the opposite side of the country.
Late Saturday, Hurricane Ingrid was packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, with slight strengthening forecast today before the storm moves inland. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said that if Ingrid stays on the forecast track, it is likely to reach the coast of Mexico on Monday.
The government of the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz began evacuating coastal residents Friday night, and local civil protection authorities said more than 5,300 people had been moved to safer ground. Of those, about 3,500 people are being housed in official shelters with the rest staying with family and friends.
There were no immediate reports of injuries blamed on the storm.
More than 1,000 homes in Veracruz state had been affected by the storm to varying degrees, and 20 highways and 12 bridges have suffered damages, according to the state’s civil protection authority.
A bridge collapsed near the northern Veracruz city of Misantla Friday, cutting off the area from the state capital. Thirteen people died when a landslide buried their homes in heavy rains spawned by Tropical Depression Fernand on Monday.
State officials imposed an orange alert, the highest possible, in parts of southern Veracruz. Two of Mexico's three major oil-exporting ports were closed, but most of the country's Gulf coast ports, including Veracruz, remained open as the storm approached.
State oil monopoly Pemex was operating under security protocols but none of its offshore oil installations in the Fuld of Mexico had been affected, a spokesman said.
Off Mexico’s Pacific coast, Tropical Storm Manuel had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. A tropical storm warning was in effect from Acapulco to Manzanillo.
Manuel is expected to produce 10 to 15 inches of rain over parts of the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, and life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are likely.
Elsewhere, the remnants of Tropical Storm Humberto were swirling in the Atlantic, far from land. It was expected to regenerate in a couple of days, according to the Hurricane Center.
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