NU Online News Service, June 18, 1:36 p.m.EDT
|The third named storm of the Pacific hurricane season madelandfall in Mexico over the weekend, but modeler AIR Worldwide saysit does not expect large insured losses from the event.
|Hurricane Carlotta swept onshore near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca,on Friday, strengthening from a Category 1 to a Category 2 stormand killing two children before dissipating into a tropicaldepression over mountainous terrain.
|The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that the stormcreated maximum sustained winds of 90 mph at landfall, whichoccurred about 200 miles southeast of the resort town of Acapulco,says AIR. Carlotta intensified into a Category 2 hurricane as itmoved south, causing authorities to open emergency shelters inpreparation.
|“Carlotta was a relatively small hurricane at landfall, withhurricane force winds extending less than 30 miles from the eye,”says Tim Doggett, principal scientist at AIR, in a statement. “As aresult, damaging winds affected only a small portion of thecoast.”
|Puerto Escondido suffered flying debris and falling trees andbillboards that shattered windows. The wind peeled some light metalroofs off of commercial buildings and caused widespread structuraldamage to uninsured homes built without a permit, which AIRestimates make up about 50 percent of the region'sresidences.
|The storm almost nipped the 330,000 barrel-per-day Salina Cruzoil refinery, but Mexico's largest oil plant remained open asCarlotta passed north of the facility. No damage was reported fromAcapulco.
|The worst is over now that the NHC has downgraded Carlotta to atropical depression, but flooding and landslide risks linger asweak steering currents and heavy rains continue to affect thearea.
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