UK holiday warning as killer Hurricane Agatha hits Mexico, sending tourists fleeing to emergency shelters in popular resort towns

A hurricane at 105 km/h history made as the strongest hurricane ever recorded to make an overnight landfall in Mexico in May and is now heading for the popular resort of Cancun.

Hurricane Agatha made landfall in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Monday afternoon, bringing torrential rain and sustained winds of 170 km/h.

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The hurricane made landfall just 25 miles south of Puerto Escondido, a popular spot for Brits.

Known for having one of the most famous beach breaks in the world, Puerto Escondidos Playa Zicatela is a surf mecca for hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.

hurricane fears

A young Brit who lives in the beach town told the Sun how scared she was in the hours leading up to the hurricane’s landfall.

“I was afraid. I had stocked up on water, food and candles and charged my electronics before the hurricane hit, knowing we would be without power for a while,” said Joanna Blomfield, 30, of the mansion where she was sheltered during the storm.

In Puerto Escondido, tourists and residents boarded windows before landing.

Joanna’s landlord helped her plaster her bay windows with thick duct tape and board up her balcony with large boards.

“I know one [hurricane] Category 3 can blow off roofs,” says the young woman, who has lived in the coastal town for over a year.

“This place is not designed to withstand the winds and I figured the hurricane would do a lot of damage.”

“We looked at the weather reports and determined that the hurricane would hit during the night. I would have preferred it during the day rather than at night,” said the digital nomad and author.

“We were worried about what would happen after the hurricane – no power, probably no water and no phone service.”

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“I had no idea how long the actual storm would last, so everyone huddled together, stayed put, and rode out.”

In some nearby towns, power went out and telephone poles were damaged. Joanna’s phone network also went down during the storm.

While the young woman assured that she believed the worst was behind them, she reminded Brits currently in Mexico to remain cautious as the hurricane sweeps across the country.

Joanna issued a warning fearing flash floods and mudslides could surprise unexpected travelers.

“I’m worried about landslides. There will be floods and stormy waves will be enormous.”

She added: “The streets often flood when it rains and turn into rivers – in a matter of seconds.”

An area of ​​Oaxaca state home to the laid-back tourist towns of Huatulco, Mazunte and Zipolite was cut off after two freeways were closed as mud and rocks fell on the roads.

On Tuesday afternoon, the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm with winds of about 70 mph and heavy rain is expected to continue.

Meanwhile, the US National Hurricane Center said gusty winds and heavy rain would remain a threat to the Central American country as the storm’s remnants could potentially resurface over the Gulf of Mexico through the Yucatán Peninsula.

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