Mexico on red alert as hurricane Lorenzo approaches

Veracruz (Mexico), Sep 28 (IANS) Mexican authorities have declared a red alert in 120 municipalities in the coastal state of Veracruz after hurricane Lorenzo gathered strength in the south-western Gulf of Mexico.

The Veracruz government ordered the closure of schools Friday and Saturday, asking some 500,000 students to stay at home, reported Spanish news agency EFE.


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State civil protection assistant secretary Ranulfo Marquez told reporters that Lorenzo was expected to bring heavy rain to eastern Mexico, very similar to those that accompanied hurricane Stan, which hit the region two years ago causing widespread damage.

The national weather service said that Lorenzo now has a “well-defined” concentric nucleus, which is approximately 400 km wide.

The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said the hurricane could hit the Mexican coast as a Category 1 hurricane, given that the storm has maximum sustained winds of 110 km per hour and is predicted to strengthen further before moving onshore.

A storm becomes a Category 1 hurricane when its maximum sustained winds reach 119 km per hour.

The government has issued a hurricane warning for the Gulf of Mexico coast from Palma Sola to Cabo Rojo.

“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the NHC said.

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