Tropical storm hits Mexico coast, weakens
VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) — Former Tropical Storm Helene headed inland on Mexico's Gulf Coast early Saturday after making landfall and quickly losing strength, falling to a tropical depression.
Helene still posed a threat to areas where thousands of people were still recovering from flooding spawned last week by Hurricane Ernesto. But the Veracruz state civil defense office said none of the region's numerous rivers had yet reached flood stage.
In the port city of Veracruz, at least two low-lying neighborhoods reported some streets flooded.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the depression was located just south of the port city of Tampico, with winds of about 35 mph (55 kph). Tampico, an oil-refining center and important port with about 790,000 inhabitants, sits just above sea level and is surrounded by lakes and lagoons that are already full and could easily flood in the event of heavy rains.
The depression was moving northwest, but was expected to take a more northerly track that would lead it closer to the city of Ciudad Victoria, in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas, before dissipating.
The storm hit in a lush coastal region of oil centers and tourist resorts with hundreds of towns and villages sitting along streams and rivers that can swell dangerously in heavy rain. Many were evacuated as Ernesto approached last week, and flood damage left some 10,000 people homeless.
Mexico's government declared a state of emergency in more than 100 population centers in Veracruz state and was providing them with emergency aid to deal with damage from Ernesto. The country's national weather service warned Helene could bring more rain, with about 4 inches (10 centimeters) to 8 inches (20 centimeters) expected.
Veracruz state Civil defense Secretary Noemi Guzman said "moderate to intense" rain has been fallen in the north part of the state, which borders Tamaulipas. Guzman said residents should stay at home if possible, to avoid venturing out in the storm.
Helene was predicted to bring 4 inches (10 centimeters) to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain.
Meanwhile, Portugal posted a tropical storm watch for the central and eastern Azores islands as Tropical Storm Gordon moved eastward across the Atlantic.
