MEXICO – Residents in south-western Mexico on Saturday evacuated from homes flooded by the remnants of Hurricane John that ravaged the Pacific coastline for a week, bringing deadly floods and landslides that left 22 people reported dead.

In Guerrero, the worst-hit state and one of Mexico’s poorest, 18 people were killed, according to local media, many due to mudslides that crushed houses. To the south, local media reported three deaths in Oaxaca, and a young boy died in a river to the north in Michoacán state. John rapidly strengthened into a major hurricane on Monday before tearing into Guerrero. It dissipated, then reformed offshore and for the rest of the week skimmed the coastline north, bringing torrential rain and floods. John began dissipating on Friday and is no longer considered an active storm.

Evelyn Salgado, the Guerrero state governor, shared images on X of emergency responders in the major resort city of Acapulco carrying out rescue operations by boat, jet ski and helicopter, and residents wading through roads flooded up to waist height.

Salgado said access to the airport had been re-established on Saturday morning. Residents with small children who evacuated from flooded neighborhoods on dinghies and surfboards asked authorities for support as the city, still recovering from a devastating 2023 storm, faced a second disaster in less than a year. Last October, Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco as a category 5 storm that rapidly intensified off the coast, leaving more than 50 people dead and causing billions of dollars in damages. But John’s rainfall nearly tripled the rain generated from Otis. (The Guardian)