Valley resident stuck in Mexico as Hurricane Patricia hits land
A state of emergency is in effect Friday night in three states in Mexico as Hurricane Patricia slams into the Western Coast.
The monster category 5 storm is the strongest ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere with winds reaching 200 miles per hour.
Valley resident Joan Boiko was vacationing in Puerto Vallarta with her husband before the hurricane hit.
Boiko was lucky enough to get out of the coastal city — but may still be in the storm’s path.
She said when she checked the weather before her trip she saw no mention of a hurricane.
Now she and her husband are taking refuge at the corporate offices of the hotel they were supposed to be staying at.
“I’m nervous. I was nervous last night when I heard it was going to be the largest hurricane in history. That’s very unnerving,” Boiko said.
It’s not the sort of news you want to hear while on vacation, or ever.
“Before we knew it, it was gonna be a category 5 and the worst hurricane in history,” Boiko said.
Boiko and her husband will ride out the storm with about 1,000 others camped out on cots in Nuevo Vallarta, which is north of Puerto Vallarta.
Even though they’ve moved out of the storm’s path, employees continued to board up doors and windows.
In Puerto Vallarta, preparations and evacuations are underway.
The popular tourist destination has many scrambling to get out of town.
When Boiko tried to catch an earlier flight out the only one out was completely booked.
As the storm looms closer she knows the only thing she can do is remain calm.
“Trying to stay as upbeat as we can. There’s nothing we can do about it. We’re here and we’re going to push through,” Boiko said.
Now she just hopes she can get home Saturday…
“As of now, my flight is scheduled to leave, because if you look at the weather it’s supposed to be sunny. But it all depends on how bad this is, if the airport is going to be damaged, if there’s going to be too much flooding,” Boiko said.
From the looks of it, only Mother Nature knows if that will happen.
