Tropical Storm Sonia Threatens Mexico

Tropical Storm Sonia has gained strength as it nears the Mexican Pacific coast, an area that has already been ravage by Hurricanes Raymond and Manuel in recent months. Reuters reports that Sonia's epicentre was located 205 miles south of Los Cabos in Baja California, and is expected to make landfall early on Monday. The National Hurricane Center reports that the storm is increasing speed as it turns north-eastwards. The storm is traveling at a speed of 9 miles per hour with sustained winds of 45 miles per hour. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast from Mazatlan to the town of Altata. Sonia is expected to produce rainfall of 3 to 10 inches in both Sinaloa and Durango.

Hurricane Raymond forced Mexican authorities to declare a Sate of Emergency in the state of Guerrero last month. Authorities in the area received resources for food, shelter and medical supplies from FONDEN, Mexico's natural disaster fund. Dozens of residents and tourists were left stranded in the area after the provisional bridge that had been constructed after Hurricane Manuel destroyed the original structure. Hurricane Raymond was originally named a Category 3 Storm however, the hurricane was downgraded to a Category 1 as it made landfall.

Guerrero is still recovering from the the devastating effects of Manuel which caused close to 120 deaths in September. Dams are still well over capacity, and with the heavy torrential rain expected, the possibility of further flooding is imminents. Seaports in the state have been closed and many schools in coastal areas have been closed. Residents have been urged to take precaution, though many have still not returned home after the devastating damages of Manuel. The storm caused over $6 billion in damages and has devastated the already suffering tourism industry of the state.