Mexico assesses damage from Hurricane Erick as rising rivers leave at
least 1 dead
[June 20, 2025]
By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ and LUIS ALBERTO CRUZ
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Authorities in southern Mexico were still
assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of
Hurricane Erick doused the region.
Torrential rains over steep coastal mountains and the landslides and
flooding they could generate became ongoing concern for officials after
Erick dissipated following a landfall early Thursday on a sparsely
populated stretch of coast.
At least one death was confirmed late Thursday, a 1-year-old boy who
drowned in a swollen river.
Erick came ashore down southern Mexico's Pacific coast in the morning as
a Category 3 major hurricane, but it landed between the resort cities of
Acapulco and Puerto Escondido.
Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines
and some flooding as coastal residents, above all in Acapulco, took the
storm seriously with memories of the devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023
still fresh in their minds.
With a steady rain falling on Acapulco, residents and remaining tourists
emerged to walk outside or visit businesses opening gradually as the
remnants of Hurricane Erick scraped by just inland of the resort.
In Puerto Escondido, fishermen searched for and inspected storm-tossed
boats and residents cleared downed trees and other debris.
The threat of heavy rain remained in the mountains that rise abruptly
behind Acapulco's famed beaches. Erick spent the day dragging through
the coastal mountain range, dropping torrential quantities of rain.
It was expected to dissipate Thursday night over the mountains in
Michoacan state.
Erick once had Category 4 strength
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Erick was centered
about 155 kilometers (95 miles) north-northwest of Acapulco Thursday
night. Its maximum sustained winds were 45 kph (30 mph), degrading it to
a low pressure area. It was moving northwest at 20 kph (13 mph).
Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast
but weakened before making landfall to a Category 3.
Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an
ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34
incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 55 kph
(35 mph) in 24 hours — which is about twice the average and causes
problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane center.
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A man walks through debris after Hurricane Erick hit near Puerto
Escondido, Oaxaca state, Mexico, Thursday, June 19, 2025. (AP
Photo/Luis Alberto Cruz)
One death reported
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday “the people have reacted
very well so far.”
But authorities warned the heavy rain would now become the problem.
Forecasters expected up to 40 centimeters (16 inches) of rain could
fall across Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas,
Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states. The rainfall threatened
flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.
Late Thursday, Guerrero state Civil Defense Director Roberto Arroyo
said that a 1-year-old boy had died in San Marcos, an inland
community southeast of Acapulco in the path of Erick. The child’s
mother had tried to cross a swollen river while carrying the child,
but he slipped from her arms and drowned.
Residents venture out
Restaurants, shops and supermarkets gradually reopened in Acapulco,
but schools were to remain closed across Guerrero on Friday as
authorities continued to assess damage, clear debris and monitor
rising rivers.
“Many of us were frightened, but now it has passed,” said Juan
Carlos Castañeda, a 49-year-old security guard at an Acapulco
condominium complex. He said the “tragedy of Otis marked all of us.”
Despite the rain, Castañeda decided to go out for a walk.
Down the coast in the fishing village of Barra Vieja, the
wind-whipped surf battered the shore and heavy rain kept residents
sheltered indoors.
Perla Rosas, however, was among the few who ventured out, umbrella
in hand, to get to her job at a convenience store. “I feel more
relaxed now, so I decided to come to work.”
Acapulco still scarred by Otis
Acapulco residents had braced for Erick’s arrival with more
preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation
two years earlier.
The city of nearly 1 million was hit in October 2023 by Hurricane
Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught
many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and the storm
severely damaged almost all of the resort’s hotels.
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Cruz reported from Puerto Escondido, Mexico.
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