Sawt Falasteen - Hurricane Erick strengthens as it barrels toward Mexico

Erick is expected to bring "potentially destructive winds and life-threatening flash floods to portions of southern Mexico" late Wednesday and Thursday, the center's latest bulletin said.

By 0000 GMT, Erick was moving northwest at a speed of nearly nine miles (15 kilometers) per hour with maximum sustained winds approaching 120 mph (195 km/h) and higher gusts.

The hurricane is expected to stengthen before making landfall, bringing with it storm surges, coastal flooding and destructive waves.

Forecasters warned of intense rainfall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, bringing "life-threatening flooding and mudslides."

Mexican authorities said they were also expecting heavy rain in Chiapas state.

President Claudia Sheinbaum urged people to avoid going out and advised those living in low-lying areas or near rivers to move to shelters.

In Acapulco, a major port and resort city famous for its nightlife, police with bullhorns walked the beach and drove around town warning residents and holidaymakers of the storm's arrival.

Some shops boarded up their windows and operators of tourist boats brought their vessels ashore.

Rainfall began in the late afternoon after a sunny day.

About 250 miles (400 kilometers) south of Acapulco, the city of Puerto Escondido and its 30,000 inhabitants braced for the hurricane's effects.

Restaurants were already closed despite tourists unwilling to give up their vacations, an AFP journalist noted from the scene.

"They say it's going to hit this side of the coast, so we're taking precautions to avoid having any regrets later," Adalberto Ruiz, a 55-year-old fisherman sheltering his boat, told AFP.

Laura Velazquez, national coordinator of civil protection, said the government was using patrols and social media to warn people.

Some 2,000 temporary shelters have been set up in Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca, and hundreds of troops and electricity workers have been deployed to help with any clean-up efforts.

Local authorities have suspended classes and closed ports along the coast, including the port of Acapulco, to shipping.

Mexico sees major storms every year, usually between May and November, on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

In October 2023, Acapulco was pummeled by Hurricane Otis, a powerful Category 5 storm that killed at least 50 people.

Hurricane John, another Category 3 storm that hit Acapulco in September last year, caused about 15 deaths.

Q.Jaber--SF-PST