Mexico-bound flights from Sea-Tac canceled as massive hurricane approaches
Oct 23, 2015, 10:43 AM | Updated: 3:12 pm
A Dallas Fire Rescue responder makes his way over to a stalled vehicle to check on the drive still inside on Hillcrest Road Friday in Dallas. The vehicle stalled after the road quickly flooded during a heavy rain fall. More rain soaked parts of Texas on Friday as millions of residents braced for other storms that could spin off from massive Hurricane Patricia approaching southwest Mexico. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
People won’t be flying to Puerto Vallarta Friday, at least from Sea-Tac.
All flights from the airport to the Pacific resort city of Mexico have been canceled as people brace for a Category 5 hurricane, The Seattle Times reports.
Related: Why did Hurricane Patricia become a monster so quickly?
That includes ten Alaska Airlines flights that were canceled due to Hurricane Patricia, which is the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Alaska Airlines sent an empty flight to Mexico Friday morning to get its customers back home before the hurricane. About 150 people returned on the flight, according to the Alaska Airlines blog.
A flight tracker shows all flights to Puerto Vallarta, including direct and those stopping in California, have been canceled, the Times reports.
KIRO Radio travel expert Steve Danishek says the hurricane is going to do some damage.
“None of us believe that this is going to be a small event, we think there could be significant damage to airports…,” he said.
Patricia formed Tuesday evening as a tropical storm, which turned into a hurricane just over a day later and kept building in strength, catching many off guard with its rapid growth. It has become the most powerful hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere, with maximum sustained winds near 200 mph (325 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The storm is homing in on a Pacific coastline dotted with villages and resorts. After hitting land, Patricia’s projected path would quickly take it over mountainous terrain that is prone to dangerous flash floods and landslides. In Puerto Vallarta, residents reinforced homes with sandbags and shop windows with boards and tape, and hotels rolled up beachfront restaurants.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
