Powerful Hurricane Patricia headed to Mexico

Friday, October 23, 2015

In Mexico, World Vision has pre-positioned relief items like blankets, tarpaulins, kitchen kits, and bottled water, to be ready to respond in the wake of Hurricane Patricia.

Residents of Mexico’s central Pacific coast are bracing for impact from Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 325 kmh. The U.S. National Hurricane Center, tracking the storm, reports that Patricia is “the strongest hurricane ever recorded".

More than 50,000 people had already evacuated coastal communities by Friday morning. The storm is expected to make landfall later in the day.

"Our first concern is for the safety of children."

There are no World Vision development projects in Jalisco and Colima states where Patricia is expected to do its greatest damage. However, heavy rains are likely to hit communities where World Vision works in Michoacan, San Luis Potosi, and the state of Mexico.

“We have pre-positioned items for emergency response like blankets, tarpaulins, kitchen kits, and bottled water,” says World Vision Emergency Director Alejandro Garciacano in Mexico City. "In a second phase, we will make hygiene kits available."

World Vision Mexico National Director, Silvia Novoa, said: "Our first concern is for the safety of children and will be making a special effort to ensure they get what they need once the hurricane has struck, including emotional support in special child friendly spaces."  

World Vision has a long history of working in partnership with the local authorities and in responding to all kinds of disasters, including quakes, floods and hurricanes.

The government has warned people to evacuate danger areas so a large number of casualties is not expected. However, there is likely to be signifcant damage to infrastructure, especially for those living in poorer areas, as well as to crops and farmland.

World Vision plans to provide aid through local partners, depending on the government’s determination of needs.

MORE: How World Vision responds to disasters

For more information, please contact: 

David Muñoz, Regional Communications Manager, World Vision Latin America and the Caribbean. Mobile: (521) 55 3899 0978 david_munoz@wvi.org