Hurricane Roslyn claimed two lives in Nayarit after making landfall as a Category 3 storm early Sunday.
A 74-year-old man was killed in Mexcaltitán, a “magical town” in the municipality of Santiago Ixcuintla, when a beam fell on his head, Nayarit authorities told the news agency Reuters, while a 39-year-old woman died in the municipality of Rosamorada when a fence collapsed.
The fatalities occurred inland from Santa Cruz, a small community on the northern coast of Nayarit near where Roslyn made landfall at 5:20 a.m. local time Sunday, according to the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC). Roslyn reached Category 4 status on Saturday but weakened before battering the coast of Nayarit.
The storm weakened further after making landfall and was downgraded to a tropical storm by Sunday afternoon. At 10 p.m. Sunday, the NHC said that Roslyn had dissipated and the storm’s remnants were 80 kilometers west-northwest of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Maximum sustained wind speeds were just 45 km/h, down from a peak of about 210 km/h.
The hurricane caused flooding, damaged homes and toppled trees in Nayarit, including in state capital Tepic. Photos showed cars submerged in water and houses with severely damaged roofs. Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro said on Twitter that fallen trees and mudslides had obstructed some highways in the Pacific coast state.
José Antonio Barajas, mayor of San Blas — the municipality where Roslyn made landfall — said in a video message that the hurricane also knocked power out. Close to 160,000 customers in Nayarit, Jalisco and Sinaloa were left without power, according to the Federal Electricity Commission, but service was restored for over 70% by Monday at 11 a.m. Central Time.
“The winds from this hurricane were, in truth, tremendous,” Barajas said. “The sound of the wind was strong.”
Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro said early Sunday afternoon that Roslyn only caused minor damage in that state and that people who evacuated could return to their homes. He also said that operations at the Puerto Vallarta airport had resumed. Heavy rain and powerful waves were reported in Vallarta, located about 140 kilometers south of the point where Roslyn made landfall.
The Associated Press reported that some beachside eateries sustained damage in the resort city.
“The biggest effect [of the hurricane] was from the waves, on some of the beachside infrastructure [but] we did not have any significant damage,” said local Civil Protection chief Adrián Bobadilla.
