Hurricane Patricia has been deemed as one of the strongest storms in history. Surprisingly, it left little damage on Oct. 24, 2015 and immediately turned into a low-pressure system. However, Texas is feeling its devastating effects more.
Yahoo reported that the most powerful impact of Hurricane Patricia hit the Pacific Coast of Mexico which had few residents, before moving into the mountains that absorbed much of its force. Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo were spared from the huge damage that the violent weather could have caused.
The consequences were significantly less than expected. Patricia was previously described as a Category 5 hurricane with 200mph winds before it hit land on Oct. 23.
So far, there are no reports of deaths and injuries caused by the catastrophe in Mexico. Subsequently, President Enrique Pena Nieto stated that about 3,000 to 3,500 homes were damaged, while 3,500 hectares of farmland were destroyed. About 235,000 people lost electricity when Patricia hit, although half already had power restored several hours later.
TIME wrote that the lack of damage was largely due to the powerful winds of the mega-storm being confined to a small area and merely hammering a region with limited populace.Patricia hit land close to Cuixmala with winds of about 165mph. however, its strongest winds did not go beyond 15 miles from its eye. Manzanillo was the closest city, with a population of over 100,000, but situated more than 50 miles away.
“The amount of damage is going to be entirely dependent on where the storm hits. If it had been a more heavily populated area, we’d be having a much different conversation.” Said meteorologist Sean Sublette.
In Texas, several areas were already dangerously flooded on Saturday, Oct. 25. The waters closed the interstate between Dallas and Houston, while a freight train was fully derailed and overturned, The Guardian revealed. In the Corsicana area, more than 16 inches of rain fell on Friday. Forecasters predicted that Bolivar Peninsula would be submerged in water by 4 to 5 feet. About 100 flights were reportedly cancelled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and southern Oklahoma were also alerted for nonstop rain and flash floods, which may happen between Saturday and Monday, Oct. 26. One man was reported missing in San Antonio area due to flood water.
Although Mexico was spared, Texas still has to stay cautious about the impending danger. The storm winds is still very powerful, despite failing to impact populated regions in Mexico.