By R. Robles (media@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Oct 24, 2015 08:43 PM EDT
Tags hurricane patricia, mexico, Maps, facts, damage, Aftermath, Photos, Hurricane Report, Weather Report

It is dubbed as the most catastrophic hurricane to enter the Western Hemisphere.

Growing at an "incredible rate" in 12 hours from Thursday night to Friday according to the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization, Hurricane Patricia's wrath was compared to that of Typhoon Haiyan which left 7,300 dead or missing and displaced millions in the Philippines.

Pre-landfall, Patricia carried wind speeds of more than 200 mph but it slightly weakened when it hit land Friday evening at around 6:30 pm with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph. But while this is a slight drop from 200 mph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that it is still considered dangerous, as told in a report by The LA Times.

Weather.com reports that Mexican authorities have declared state of emergency even before Hurricane Patricia officially hit Mexican shores. According to the Associated Press, 56 Mexican municipalities located in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states were under State of Emergency as per Weather.com. "We need people to understand the magnitude of the hurricane, it is a devastating hurricane, the biggest one ever registered," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio said in a statement to Mexico's Radio Formula Friday morning, according to AP as per Weather.com. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto took to Twitter saying that the country had never experienced a hurricane this powerful. "Do not go outside. Protect yourselves and follow instructions from the Civil Protection. I am thinking of you all," he said, as per LA Times.

Thousands of people living along or near the coastline were evacuated into shelters and brought to safely. Some civilians fled via government-provided flights or land transportation. "Everything in the street, such as cars, are going to turn into projectiles, so it's very important that people seek shelter," said Ricardo de la Cruz, director of civilian protection, as quoted by The LA Times. The governor of Jalisco tweeted around 10 PM, as per Weather.com, that even though 6,333 people were relocated to shelters, there had been no loss of life as of that time.

According to The LA Times, approximately 3,000 soldiers and more than 800 federal police officers sent to help and assist civilians. Furthermore, more than 1,200 shelters that can accommodate 240,000 people were set up for evacuees. Schools were reported to be closed, and three Mexican airports in Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Tepic have stopped operations.

Tourism Secretary Enrique de la Madrid said in a statement to Milenio TV as per The LA Times, that 50% of the 15,000 tourists in the area will be sent out to a safe zone by the time Patricia hits land. About 10,000 others were evacuated from the coast of Jalisco.

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