Hurricane Tara (1961)
| Category 1 hurricane ( SSHWS ) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emergence | November 10, 1961 | |
| resolution | November 12, 1961 | |
|
Peak wind speed |
|
|
| Lowest air pressure | Unknown | |
| dead | 436-500 | |
| Property damage | $ 16 million (1961) | |
|
Affected areas |
southern mexico | |
| Season overview: 1961 Pacific hurricane season |
||
Hurricane Tara or Cyclone Tara was one of the most momentous hurricanes observed in the Pacific Ocean . The last tropical cyclone of the 1961 hurricane season formed on November 10 about 365 km off the coast of Mexico . It intensified and before the landfall in the Mexican state of Guerrero near Zihuatanejo reached wind speeds of 140 km / h . The hurricane dissolved on November 12th, bringing strong winds and heavy rain, which intensified the effects of the ten days of continuous rain that had prevailed before. In the large port city of Acapulco , the damage was minor; further west on the coast the effects were much worse. Nuxco was hit hardest in Tecpán de Galeana . This is where the greatest damage and most fatalities from the hurricane were recorded. In total, at least 436 victims were counted in Mexico.
Storm course
On November 9, a weak atmospheric circulation remained almost stationary off the Mexican coast near Acapulco. There was no particularly pronounced convection in the area , but the system organized itself far enough to be classified as a tropical depression around 0:00 UTC on November 10, about 365 km off the coast. On the afternoon of November 10, the system migrated northeast towards the coast. Tara intensified, reached hurricane strength and peaked late on November 11th with wind speeds of 140 km / h. In the early hours of November 12, Hurricane Days crossed the coastline near Zihuatanejo in Guerrero between Acapulco and Manzanillo, roughly at the point where Hurricane Iva had slipped over the mainland for five months. On its way inland, the system was last seen on November 12 at 12:00 UTC. At the time, the hurricane was known as Cyclone Tara, as the term cyclone was more commonly used as a hurricane to refer to tropical cyclones in the area.
Effects and Consequences
Hurricane Tara caused severe damage in southern Guerrero. When Tara pushed her way to the mainland, the force of the storm destroyed at least ten towns. The heavy rainfall triggered floods and flash floods . The effects of the precipitation were all the greater as there was ten days of continuous rain before the hurricane hit. The floods polluted the drinking water. A surfer was killed near Acapulco by the strong waves. In the city itself, low-lying neighborhoods were flooded, causing about $ 1 million in damage. In the municipality of Tecpán de Galeana, the hurricane killed 116 people and the storm caused dozens more deaths in the surrounding villages. The coastal road between Acapulco and Zihuatanejo was badly damaged, which made subsequent relief efforts difficult; the road was therefore a high priority for repairs after the storm, so construction workers worked around the clock to restore the important link. Many deaths were reported from the coastal towns in Guerrero, but the exact numbers were not initially known as many of the towns had been buried by mudslides. Residents received little warning of the approaching storm, and many of the victims died after being surprised in their sleep. The effects of the storm left many thousands of residents in the area homeless. According to radio reports, a waterspout destroyed the town of Nuxco, although the damage was later described as being caused by flooding a lagoon ; a total of 225 people were killed in Nuxco.
The food supplies in some coastal towns became unusable as a result of the effects of the storm, forcing residents to eat the coconuts that fell from the palm trees during the hurricane. The damage to the crop in Mexico was unofficially estimated at $ 16 million (1961; adjusted for inflation: $ 136 million).
Within two days of the storm, the Mexican government sent two airplanes with relief supplies to Acapulco, from where food, clothes and medicines were brought to the affected areas by truck, train or helicopter. Plans were made to dump food and medicine in cut off areas, but the relief supplies initially made available proved insufficient to cope with the large number of people affected by the storm. Five army units and three helicopters were dispatched to the region to help, and the use of airplanes was made difficult by the fact that strips of land were flooded. In the particularly hard hit and inaccessible areas, paratroopers were dropped off to distribute aid. The floods raised fears of epidemics , but prompt medical assistance from the authorities prevented epidemics.
The exact number of victims was initially unknown, but it was assumed that it was in the hundreds. Two days after the storm, the authorities had already reported more than 80 deaths. The next day the number had risen to 190, and on the fourth day to 290 deaths; According to official estimates, the number of deaths was probably more than 500. Due to the interrupted communication links - power lines and telegraph lines were interrupted by the storm - reports of damage and loss of life initially spread only slowly. On November 19, one week after the storm hit, the Mexican army reported the number of victims as 436 dead, with a further 300 people missing; this number is also mentioned in a 1993 report by the United States Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Hurricane Tara was the most fatal disaster in 1961. Even today, Tara is the third-highest casualty Pacific hurricane in Mexico, after a hurricane in 1959 and Hurricane Liza in 1976 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c United States Weather Bureau: Tropical Cyclones in the Eastern North Pacific, 1961 ( English ) 1961. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ↑ a b c National Hurricane Center: Eastern Pacific hurricane best track analysis 1949-2014 ( English ) United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d Mexican Cyclone Areas Win Relief By Airlift ( English ) Associated Press. November 19, 1961. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Toll in Mexico Hurricane May Run As High as 500 ( English ) United Press International. November 14, 1961. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- ↑ a b c d e f 80 Killed in Hurricane Lashing Mexican Coast ( English ) United Press International. November 14, 1961. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ^ A b c Mexico Struck Hard By Storm ( English ) Associated Press. November 18, 1961. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- ↑ Tony Burton: Mexico this month - November ( English ) MexConnect. March 14, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- ^ A b c Staff Writer: 190 Dead in Mexico Storm . In: Associated Press . November 15, 1961. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ↑ Staff Writer: Mexico Counts Storm Dead ( English ) In: United Press International . November 14, 1961. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ^ A b Mexican Cyclone Worst Tragedy . United Press International. January 1st, 1962. Archived from the original on December 12th, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
- ↑ 200 Dead or Missing in Mexico Storm ( English ) United Press International. November 18, 1961. Archived from the original on November 29, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
- ↑ Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance: Significant Data on Major Disasters Worldwide 1990-Present ( English , PDF; 5.7 MB) August 1993. Retrieved May 2009.
- ↑ Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres: Riesgos Hidrometeorológicos ( Spanish ) Secretaría de Gobernación. 2007. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
