Hurricane Patricia Disrupts Air Travel From Southern California To Mexico
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — At least six flights between Los Angeles International Airport and areas of Mexico about to be slammed by Hurricane Patricia were canceled Friday, with officials warning that more cancellations were likely to come over the weekend.
The Category 5 storm - which has been documented as the strongest hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere - has forced the closure of several Mexican airports and left many travelers stranded.
Wind speeds for the storm hit sustained speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
Puerto Vallarta's Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport were shut down as the region prepares for the hurricane, airport officials said.
CBS2's Jasmine Viel reported four flights were cancelled from Los Angeles International Airport to Puerto Vallarta, where people are boarding up restaurants and homes while putting out sand bags. Additional flights were cancelled from John Wayne Airport and Ontario International Airport.
Alaska Airlines issued a statement that reads in part: "As a result of the airport closure, all 10 Alaska Airlines flights to and from Puerto Vallarta have been cancelled for Friday."
Only one Alaska Airlines flight was able to depart from LAX early this morning.
Two sisters arrived this morning at LAX with two other friends hoping to fly to Puerto Vallarta when they found out the flight had been canceled.
Airport officials are working to process flight changes by Saturday.
On Friday, CBS2's Jeff Nguyen spoke to a couple who have to cancel their wedding.
Aly Boyce arrived at LAX from Mexico with her wedding dress still zipped up inside a garment bag because she and her fiance Chris called off their nuptials.
More than 20 friends and family were going to spend a week celebrating with them.
"It's all planned. Prepaid. Then hurricane Patricia had other plans for us," said Chris.
Some guests wanted to come anyway, but the couple wasn't willing to put their guests in the path of the storm.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for San Blas to Punta San Telmo, which means hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, meteorologists reported.
Officials in Mexico have declared a state of emergency in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states, which includes Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta, as residents brace for extremely dangerous conditions along 310 miles of the coast.
U.S. citizens in Puerto Vallarta or other hurricane-affected areas of Mexico were urged by the State Department to do their best to keep relatives apprised of their whereabouts, both before and after the storm.
Americans in Puerto Vallarta were also urged to monitor radio and local media, along with weather services in the United States and Mexico to stay abreast of the weather conditions.
Officials with the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles say they have established a hotline at (213) 219-0175 for members of the Mexican community to keep up-to-date on the effects of Hurricane Patricia.
Consulate officials also said they would post updates on their official Twitter and Facebook pages.
According to the consulate, officials updates will also be provided online at their website.
City News Service also reported that the consulate set up hotline numbers for temporary shelters set up in Jalisco, 013-22-224-7701; Colima, 013-12-313-0311; and Nayarit, 013-11-133-0381.
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