Hurricane Beatriz Pounds Mexican Coast
MANZANILLO, Mexico — Hurricane Beatriz weakened into a tropical storm and headed out to sea Tuesday after pounding Mexico's resort-studded Pacific coast with heavy rains and winds.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Mexico's government had discontinued a hurricane warning for a stretch of coastline from La Fortuna to Cabo Corrientes. Beatriz is expected to continue weakening over the next 48 hours.
Beatriz's maximum sustained winds have dropped to near 60 mph (95 kph). It is about 110 miles (175 kilometers) south-southwest Cabo Corrientes and moving west into the Pacific at near 12 mph (19 kph).
Early Tuesday, Beatriz brushed Mexico's Pacific coast as a hurricane forcing tourists from beaches and into hotels.
No injuries or major damage were reported in Manzanillo, said David Sanchez, Manzanillo's civil protection director. He said authorities saw two palm trees that had been knocked over.
As of late Monday, one tourist had been injured when a tree fell on him in Acapulco. Authorities closed the ports of Acapulco, Manzanillo and Zihuatanejo and urged hotel owners to tell guests not to go to the beach.
A steady rain was falling in Manzanillo on Tuesday, but people were mostly going about their business with normal vehicle traffic in main avenues and people standing at bus stops.
In Manzanillo, many tourists were hanging out at the beach on Monday afternoon despite warnings not to.
There's a lot of wind," said Carmen Lopez, a 40-year-old Mexican tourist vacationing in Manzanillo with about 15 family members from Guadalajara. "I'm kind of scared ... but we're staying here in the hotel for our vacation."
Farther south along the coast in Zihuatanejo, civil protection officials ordered the port closed completely and authorized five shelters in case of floods or mudslides.
Some streets and avenues in the tourist district and downtown were flooded and city officials had to pick up fallen trees.
The Tides hotel advised its guests to remain in their rooms if possible and take precautions from rain and wind, receptionist Dulce Miranda said.
In Acapulco, the ports were closed.
About 150 Mexican soldiers were deployed on a rescue mission in case homes needed to be evacuated in Acapulco, the Mexican army said late Monday.
Authorities say 100 homes were flooded, 20 trees fell and some avenues in the tourist district were also flooded because of the heavy rains. About 30 parked vehicles were swept by the current.
Tourist Arturo Olayo, of the city of Puebla, was injured when a tree fell on him. He was transported to the hospital. His condition was unknown.
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Associated Press writers Sergio Flores in Acapulco and Jonathan M. Katz and Adriana Gomez Licon in Mexico City contributed to this story.
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ARTURO PEREZ 06/21/11 06:06 PM ET Associated Press