Mexico counts deaths from “zombie storm” John

At least 15 people have died in Mexico due to Hurricane John, the country’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed.

The storm first made landfall a week ago as a category three hurricane on Mexico’s Pacific coast, southeast of the resort town of Acapulco.

It then weakened and dissipated over the mountains of Guerrero state before regaining strength over the waters of the Pacific and hitting the Mexican coast a second time, prompting meteorologists to dub it a “zombie storm.” .

The heavy rains led to landslides and floods that wiped out many residents and killed more than a dozen.

The term “zombie storm” was first used in 2020 by meteorologists at the U.S. National Weather Service to describe a storm that dissipates only to regenerate again.

On Sunday, President López Obrador said the death toll in Guerrero had reached at least 15, but local media estimated the total number of fatalities in the three hardest-hit states to be over 20, with some saying as high as 29.

Meteorologists said that while Hurricane John blew over trees and damaged buildings, the days of torrential rain it caused proved deadlier.

In some places, almost a year’s worth of precipitation fell in just a few days.

At least 80 landslides occurred in the state of Oaxaca, some of which buried houses and their residents. In some areas, entire communities were cut off as roads became impassable.

The resort town of Acapulco, still not recovering from the effects of last year’s Hurricane Otis, has been severely flooded.

City officials asked anyone with a boat to help rescue people trapped in flooded neighborhoods.

Residents posted videos on social media of themselves wading through water that came up to their shoulders.

Some families climbed onto the roofs of their homes as the water rose.

Officials said more than 5,000 people had to be evacuated and 3,800 were sleeping in shelters.

Claudia Sheinbaum, who is set to be sworn in as Mexico’s new president on Tuesday, said she would visit the state of Guerrero with her ministers on Wednesday to ensure those affected receive “the necessary assistance.”