Hurricane Manuel, a double-hitter storm that made two landfalls in Mexico last week, left 97 deaths in its wake, and according to Eqecat, an estimated $200 million in insured losses.

The hurricane, then a strong tropical storm, first touched land near Manzanillo, Mexico on September 15 and moved northwest along Mexico's Pacific (western) coast, dissipating the next morning.

A remaining disturbance regenerated Manuel into a tropical depression on September 17 before intensifying to a Category 1 hurricane, packing 75 mph winds, by the next day. The storm came onshore about 40 miles west of Culiacan, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph that radiated with hurricane force up to 15 miles from the center, and tropical-storm force winds out to 60 miles from its eye.

According to news sources, Manuel caused heavy rainfall, life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. The strongest damage occurred on the southern coastal state of Guerrero, where more than 10 people perished from a combination of landslides, an overflowing river and rain-slicked highways.

About 1,000 homes in Veracruz state were affected, as well as 20 roads and a collapsed bridge. Thousands of people are still reported stranded or missing since the storm's end on September 19.

Hurricane Manuel was nearly concurrent to Tropical Storm Ingrid, which hit Mexico's eastern coast (along the Gulf of Mexico) on September 13. The Category 1 storm was the second hurricane of the 2013 Atlantic storm season.

Mexico's National Weather Service coordinator said it “is completely atypical” for the country to experience two simultaneous hurricanes.

Special Reports /

Eqecat: Hurricane Manuel Insured Losses May Hit $200M

Related Stories

Recommended For You