Tropical Storm Ernesto made landfall Thursday near the port city of Coatzacoalcos, killing two people as it moved inland and began drenching Mexico’s flood-prone southern Gulf region.
Ernesto came ashore after spinning across the far southern Gulf of Mexico. The government closed its largest Gulf coast port, Veracruz, and the smaller ports of Alvarado and Coatzacoalcos.
In neighboring Tabasco state, two fishermen drowned when the storm passed through the area, Gov. Andres Granier told reporters.
Granier said the storm’s strong winds ripped rooftops from several homes but residents refused to evacuate, fearing their possessions might be stolen.
Coatzacoalcos, a major oil port, already had received seven inches of rain in the 24 hours before Ernesto’s center passed just a few miles away, according to Mexico’s weather service. San Pedro in the neighboring state of Tabasco had seen more than 10 inches.
The storm was centered about 90 miles west of Coatzacoalcos on Thursday evening, moving to the west at 11 mph.
The U.S. hurricane center said Ernesto could produce rainfall of up to 15 inches in some parts of the mountainous areas of Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla and Oaxaca, before weakening and dissipating in a day or two.
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