John as a tropical storm hits Mexico’s Pacific coast a 2nd time

MEXICO CITY —  Tropical Storm John made its second landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast Friday, while in its wake authorities in the resort city of Acapulco called for help from anyone with a boat to deal with the flooding.

John came ashore near Tizupan in Michoacan state Friday with sustained winds of 45 mph after making its initial landfall further east on the coast on Monday as a Category 3 hurricane.

It blew tin roofs off houses, triggered mudslides and toppled scores of trees. After weakening inland, it reemerged over the ocean, re-forming as a tropical storm Wednesday and eventually regaining hurricane strength.

At least eight people have died as a result of the storm. A year’s worth of rain in a matter of days has pounded the coastal mountains, setting off landslides and severe flooding in Acapulco and elsewhere.

The flooding is so bad in Acapulco — which still hasn’t recovered from Hurricane Otis last October — that the head of the municipal civil defense agency said authorities were starting to use boats inside the city to rescue people from low-lying neighborhoods. Residents posted videos and photos of cars floating away and people rescued from raging waters using life lines.

The city government called for anyone with a boat or personal watercraft to contribute them to rescue efforts in flooded neighborhoods. Gov. Evelyn Salgado said on X that tourism companies were starting to use personal watercraft and other small boats to rescue people in Acapulco.

Officials have confirmed one boy was swept away by floodwaters in Acapulco and four others were killed in other parts of its coastal state of Guerrero. In the neighboring state of Oaxaca three people had died as a result of floods or mudslides, officials said.

John was churning along the coast of Michoacan state early Friday about 55 miles west of the port Lazaro Cardenas, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was moving north-northwest at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph.