Three people died as Category 3 hurricane Roslyn slammed into the Nayarit coastline last weekend, bringing 195 kilometers per hour winds and storm surges.
Extensive damages to property and infrastructure was reported in northern Nayarit, where the storm made landfall at Santa Cruz de Miramar (two kilometers south of La Manzanilla) in the early hours of Sunday, October 23. All the fatalities occurred in an area just north of San Blas. One 40-year-old woman died after a fence collapsed on top of her, and a 75-year-old man succumbed when he was struck by a metal beam, Nayarit Civil Protection said. A police officer also died of a heart attack during the storm, the agency said.
The small man-made island-city of Mexcaltitán suffered severe flooding and damages, while homes and infrastructure were affected in Bahia de Banderas, Santiago de Ixcuintla, San Blas, Tecuala, Acaponeta, and even as far inland as Tepic. The popular coastal towns of Sayulita, San Pancho and Guayabitos also felt the full force of Roslyn, as the storm surges littered streets with mud and debris.
Prior to the passage of the storm, shelters were installed in many towns as people evacuated their homes on the advice of local authorities.
Although the high winds and waves lashed Puerto Vallarta before the storm made landfall, no reports of serious damage were reported, Jalisco Civil Protection said. The railings on the malecon suffered minor damage, while several streets experienced flooding, but the storm largely spared the region’s premier tourist resort.