Weekly Real Estate News
Summary
Mexico's civil protection authorities ordered a temporary suspension of nonessential travel and activity in 24 municipalities in Jalisco, Colima, Michoacan and Nayarit as Hurricane Simon approached. The NHC reported 150-mph sustained winds at noon Central October 10. No verified property damage totals were available.
Mexico ordered a temporary halt to nonessential travel and activities in 24 municipalities across Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán and Nayarit beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday as Category 4 Hurricane Simon threatened the country’s west-central Pacific coast.
The emergency measures, announced by the National Civil Protection Coordination, come as the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported at noon Central time that Simon was packing sustained winds of 150 mph. Its center was about 115 miles south-southwest of Manzanillo, moving slowly north at approximately 1 mph. Forecasters expected the hurricane to approach or move inland on Sunday.
Officials urged residents in safe buildings to stay off the roads and instructed people in flood-prone, landslide-prone or otherwise unsafe housing to relocate to designated shelters before dangerous conditions arrived. The directive is not a blanket evacuation of all residents. La Jornada reported the measures following the government’s Saturday briefing; the federal government’s October 9 emergency operations announcement had already identified especially vulnerable coastal communities and mobilized federal agencies.
The affected municipalities include Puerto Vallarta, Cabo Corrientes, Tomatlán and La Huerta in Jalisco; Manzanillo, Armería and Tecomán in Colima; Coahuayana, Aquila and Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán; and Bahía de Banderas, Compostela and other municipalities in Nayarit. The four-state restrictions are intended to limit exposure to destructive wind, coastal flooding, torrential rain and possible landslides.
For property owners and operators, the immediate concerns are safety, access and continuity of services. Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo support substantial hotel, vacation-rental, residential and commercial activity. Closures and evacuation instructions may affect staffing, guest accommodation, transportation and the ability to secure buildings before the storm reaches the coast.
Forecasters warned of rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches in parts of the affected region, with isolated amounts as high as 30 inches possible in Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco. Heavy rainfall on steep terrain can cause dangerous flooding and landslides well beyond the narrow corridor experiencing the strongest winds. The storm’s exact track and intensity at landfall remained uncertain Saturday afternoon.
There is not yet a verified assessment of damaged homes, hotel rooms, commercial buildings or insured losses attributable to Simon. Properties within the warning area face risk, but their inclusion does not establish damage. Reliable estimates will require post-storm inspection and confirmation from government agencies, owners and insurers.
The National Hurricane Center’s Simon advisory archive provides updated positions, forecasts and warnings. Residents and visitors should follow municipal civil-protection instructions for shelter locations and road restrictions.
Featured image: archival hurricane photograph, illustrative only; it does not show Hurricane Simon.
