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With winds gusting up to a maximum speed of 190 kilometres per hour (kmph), Hurricane John, that made a landfall at Mexico’s south Pacific coast, has now been downgraded to a tropical depression with winds blowing at 55 kmph.
The hurricane has claimed three lives in Mexico and has left a trail of debris consisting of mudslides dotted with fallen trees. It is reported that the floodwaters will take days to recede and normalcy to restore in the affected areas.
Two lives were lost when the mudslides crashed through houses in the remote town of Tlacoachistlahuaca while a 70-year-old woman succumbed to her injuries in another mudslide reported from Malinaltepec.
Mexican authorities told the press that almost 60,000 residents lived without access to electricity for three days and normalcy is now being restored in the affected areas
Interestingly, no deaths or injuries were recorded in Marquelia town, where Hurricane John made landfall.
Lincer Casiano Clemente, the town’s mayor, claimed that the lives were saved due to the administration’s response to the disaster and the ability of the Mexican authorities to inform the citizens about the impending landfall in a timely and effective manner.
“We’ve never seen such strong gusts,” the mayor was quoted.
“There are a lot of houses, mainly the ones with sheet roofing, where the force of the air blew off the roofing,” he added.
Considering the intensity of Hurricane John, weather experts attributed its strength to the rising risks of warming oceans as a result of an adversely changing climate.
Due to global warming, the sea surface temperatures are registering a relentless spike which is adding to the turbulence of storms across the world. From unprecedented cyclones in the Arabian Sea in India to record breaking typhoons near China, the risk of more destruction due to the rise in carbon emissions runs high.
In a report published in Down To Earth (DTE) on April 28, 2022, it was established that climate change will have opposite effects on the frequency of strong tropical cyclones along the western and eastern coasts of India by 2050.
The report was based on a study which mentioned that the frequency of cyclones will now reduce in the Bay of Bengal, traditionally known for its powerful storms, while it will increase in the Arabian Sea, a calmer body of water in comparison.