AlHijjah 16, 1434, Oct 21, 2013, SPA -- Hurricane Raymond strengthened to a Category 3 storm early Monday as swirled near Mexico's already soaked southern Pacific coast, bringing the threat of heavy and possibly dangerous rains a month after Tropical Storm Manuel caused widespread damage with floods and mudslides, AP reported. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the newly formed storm had stalled south of Mexico but a general northward drift was expected that would bring the hurricane closer to the coast. Mexican authorities rushed to deploy emergency crews and said they were considering ordering evacuations of low-lying areas. About 10,000 people already were living away from their homes one month after Manuel inundated homes and left behind drenched hillsides that posed serious landslide risks. Raymond's center was about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south-southwest of the beach resort of Zihuatanejo and it had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) early Monday. A hurricane warning was in effect from Tecpan de Galeana, up the coast from Acapulco, north to the port of Lazaro Cardenas. A tropical storm warning was posted from Acapulco to Tecpan. Authorities in southern Guerrero state, where Manuel caused about 120 deaths from flooding and landslides in September, worried about the threat of heavy rain. The state government closed seaports, set up 700 emergency shelters and urged residents in risk areas to take precautions. Officials were expected to decide soon whether to order more evacuations, including from low-lying areas of Acapulco that flooded during Manuel.
