Surviving a Windstorm in La Yacata

A windstorm can have winds more than 55 km (34 mi) per hour in short bursts or longer periods of sustained winds and can cause death, destruction, and general mayhem.

In 2015, Mexico was hit by Hurricane Patricia. This storm had sustained winds of 215 mph (345 km/h), breaking the record for the highest ever one-minute maximum sustained winds. When the hurricane made landfall near Cuixmala, Jalisco, the windstorm still registered up to 150 mph (240 km/h) making it the strongest landfall hurricane along the Pacific coast of Mexico.

The village of Chamela was completely flattened in the storm. In the town of Emiliano Zapata, winds tore roofs from homes and businesses, stripped the hillside of vegetation, toppled concrete power poles and crumpled transmission towers. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and 7 deaths occurred as a direct result of the intense winds. The total damage has been estimated to be more than 5.4 billion pesos ($323.3 million U.S. dollars). More than 59,000 acres of crops were damaged or destroyed in Jalisco alone. In Colima, the banana crop loss was estimated at 500 million pesos ($30.2 million U.S. dollars). Because of the extreme intensity of the storm, the name Patricia was retired from the hurricane list by the World Meteorological Organization.

In Mexico, one of the primary causes of injury or death as a result of a windstorm is falling billboards.

Here’s just a partial list:

In Metepc on March 10, 2016

In Fray Servando Teresa de Mier on June 26, 2016

In Mexico City on July 22, 2016

In Puebla on August 29, 2016

In Culiacán, Sinaloa on March 8, 2016

In Mexico City on April 18, 2016

In Mexico City on August 30, 2016

In Periférico Norte on March 12, 2015

On the Mexico-Queretaro Highway on March 10, 2010

In Tlalnepantla on Apr 24, 2013

So I would say that surviving a windstorm in Mexico would require that you stay as far away from a billboard as possible. Fortunately, there are no billboards in La Yacata.

Other things that you might want to do as prevention including removing dead trees and overhanging branches, loose roofing materials, tie down outside furniture and garbage cans. In Mexico, it might be securing your tinaco (water storage container) as well or risk it flying off as happened in our neighboring town of Uriangato.

Park your vehicles inside if possible. If not, move them a safe distance away from objects (like billboards) that might fall on them. Stay inside, away from windows, doors, and billboards. Make sure pets and livestock are in a sheltered area, far from billboards.

Following these simple precautions will help you best survive a windstorm in La Yacata.

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