By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest
Hurricane Willa is on its way to the Carolinas on a northward track. Willa is expected to bring rain, wind and even possibly snow as the season’s first nor’easter, South Carolina’s Island Packet newspaper said Thursday.
The Category 4 storm weakened over Texas and the Gulf Coast as it traveled northeast.
Willa Ravages Fishing Town of Teacapan
On Tuesday, Willa tore across the Mexican Pacific state of Sinaloa and ravaged the coastal fishing town of Teacapan. It was one of the strongest storms to hit the area in years, according to Reuters.
Winds of up to 120 miles per hour (193 km per hour) took off roofs and downed trees. Miraculously, there were no reports of deaths or injuries because the town’s 3,000 residents had been evacuated inland before Willa arrived.
Debris from Hurricane Willa Litters Teacapan’s Streets and Highways
By Wednesday morning, Teacapan’s streets were a muddy mess littered with debris and twisted metal roofing. A wall on the boardwalk was smashed into large chunks of concrete.
More than 100 electrical poles fell across a nearby two-lane highway, exposing dangerous power lines. “The poles caused long waits for the buses transporting residents back to what remained of their homes,” Reuters said.
Willa Brings Drug Cartel Activities in Sinaloa to Temporary Halt
The area has long been regarded as the turf of notorious drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa Cartel. Guzman is awaiting trial in New York.
Willa may prove the adage that it’s an ill wind that blows no good. In the aftermath of Hurricane Willa, residents told Reuters that the cartel was forced to step back and allow local officials to re-establish basic services.
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