Rain associated with Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel has left at least six people dead and five missing along Mexico’s Pacific coast. The toll was updated on Tuesday, October 13, as military, police and rescue teams continued searches in Baja California and authorities monitored the risk of further flooding farther south.
According to the Associated Press, five deaths occurred in Ensenada, a coastal city in Baja California, where Rachel’s remnants caused flooding. One other person died in the southern state of Guerrero over the weekend after rain carried by Simon.
The latest total includes a victim found near a stream on Tuesday. The five people missing include three being sought in Ensenada and a father and son who went fishing on Saturday in San Felipe, on the Gulf of California, and did not return.
Hundreds of personnel join search efforts
About 300 military personnel, police officers and rescuers were searching along Ensenada’s El Pípila stream. The Mexican Navy also continued its operation to locate the two missing fishermen.
The Mexican government had previously activated the Armed Forces’ emergency plans and deployed thousands of personnel to assist affected areas. In Baja California, six shelters had received residents removed from risk zones, while crews worked to restore services and assess damage.
The emergency combines the effects of two separate weather systems. Rachel moved over the northern Baja California peninsula and lost organization, but its moisture contributed to rapid urban flooding. Simon remained very close to Mexico’s west-central coast and continued producing heavy rain in several states.
Simon weakens but the rain threat remains
On Tuesday morning, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) classified Simon as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of about 90 mph (145 km/h). The storm was moving very slowly west-northwest near the coast of Jalisco.
Slow movement increases the time a region can remain exposed to rain even when the storm’s center stays offshore. The NHC advised residents of west-central Mexico and Baja California Sur to monitor updates because of the risk of heavy rainfall, flash flooding, dangerous surf and strong rip currents.
Simon had reached Category 4 strength over the weekend but weakened before the latest bulletin. Reuters reported that the hurricane was moving at only about 3 mph (5 km/h), keeping riverside communities on alert and making the timing and location of any possible landfall harder to determine.
Damage across several states
In Ensenada, the priority was to locate the missing and clear areas hit by mud and debris. Floodwaters swept away vehicles, damaged homes and cut off roads. Farther south, Simon brought heavy rain to Guerrero and continued threatening Nayarit and Sinaloa, where rivers and low-lying areas remained under surveillance.
The storms also affected power supplies and travel in parts of the region. Authorities urged residents to stay away from waterways, unstable slopes and flooded streets, and to follow any evacuation instructions.
The figures may still change because searches are continuing and some communities remain difficult to reach. Authorities have not attributed all damage to a single system: flooding in the north was primarily associated with Rachel’s remnants, while Simon maintained the rain and flood threat along the west-central coast.
Monitoring continues
The episode comes during a highly active Pacific season, but the intensity or impacts of an individual storm cannot be attributed to climate change without a specific analysis. The immediate drivers of the disaster were intense rainfall, slow storm movement and the vulnerability of urban and riverside areas.
With Simon still active and five people missing, residents were advised to follow only official bulletins from the NHC, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service and local authorities. Warnings can change quickly as the hurricane changes speed and direction.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, National Hurricane Center and the Government of Mexico.
