The above photo of Patricia has been my "About Me" logo since the creation of my blog Mexico and Beyond: Laura's Photo Journey. Consequently I believe a little of our history would be appropriate.
In 2015 meteorologists were rightly cranking up the sirens over Hurricane Patricia. In the span of just 30 hours an ordinary tropical storm had mutated into the most powerful hurricane ever measured with ferocious 200-mile-per-hour winds. And the cyclone was barreling right toward Mexico's southwestern coast including Puerto Vallarta.
So what happened? I would be wrong to say Patricia was overhyped. A similar-size typhoon hit the Philippines in 2013 and killed more than 6,300 people. Rather we can chalk it up to luck and readiness. Patricia ended up passing through a lightly populated area.
And crucially, Mexico is getting much better at dealing with tropical storms. In the past, the government had been slow to respond to hurricane threats. This time around orderly evacuation efforts likely saved lives.
Patricia as seen soon after her arrival in 2015
Still, there's no question that things could have been much, much worse. The last Category 5 hurricane to hit the region back in 1959 made landfall near the major Mexican port city of Manzanillo and killed 1,800 people. Nearly half of the homes in the area were destroyed. Up in the hills and mountains major mudslides ended up killing hundreds and wiping out roads that hindered the aid response.
After a major earthquake in 1985 Mexico developed a nationwide emergency response system to warn local residents of impending dangers through TV and social media. That proved effective with officials issuing repeating warnings to find shelter or stay inside during the storm.
Patricia as seen coming into land at our beach in Puerto Vallarta.
As seen in the above photo I don't seem to be the only one attracted to Patricia.
A recent photo of of Patricia who is still hanging in there.
Monika, a local friend, making friends with Patricia.
Fun in the sun with Patricia and some locals.
A family visiting from Guanajuato who found Patricia great for a photo op with my thanks.
Turns out some of the local beach-goers find Patricia a good dog sitter.
The more the merrier!
PATRICIA UPDATE 2022
Patricia was recently released from her beach confinement by Hurrican Roselyn and is now floating free out in the big blue sea as seen above and below.
Laura all "dressed up" to celebrate Patricia.
Until next time I will continue snapping photos of Patricia and her "relatives" when I'm not visiting our fish amigos with Sr. Fishman. Thank you for joining me on my blog journey and wishing you well wherever your travels and adventures should take you. Saludos, Laura
