The formation of a new low-pressure system with a chance of becoming a cyclone that threatens the coasts of Oaxaca, Mexico, set Mexican authorities on alert after the National Meteorological Service (SMN) of Mexico warned that it would cause moderate to severe storms in Oaxaca and Guerrero.
In a press release quoted by Sin Embargo, the SMN warned that it is possible that storms produced by the low-pressure system could become "torrential." The SMN detailed that strong rains are expected in the Mexican states of Chiapas, Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco.
The information transmitted by the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) dependency once more alerted authorities and the population of the states previously affected by hurricanes Manuel and Ingrid. The hurricanes left at least 123 people dead in 26 states of the Mexican Republic, particularly in Guerrero, one of the states most affected by the storms.
"Starting at midnight it will move towards the coast, which will cause adverse conditions. Dams are at 100% capacity, the Balsas River where all the water is going is overflowing; the populations of San Francisco, Petacalco and El Naranjito in the municipality of Unión, Guerrero, have been evacuated," the subsecretary of Civil Protection of Guerrero, Constantino González, told Mexican newspaper Milenio.
In the interview, the official pointed out that three communities in the state were evacuated and recommended that people living in mountainous regions or close to cliffs to also evacuate the area due to threats of landslides caused by the strong storms.
The SMN pointed out on their website that the low-pressure system is currently located 130 km south of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and is moving west-northwest at 16 km/h.
The institution alos stated that the system has a 30 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next five days.