Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico on Thursday morning. Direct Relief Mexico Manager Jonathan Mangotich joins FOX Weather to talk about the ongoing efforts to aid the people of Mexico after Erick.
SAN MARCOS, Mexico – A 1-year-old baby boy is the first confirmed death from Hurricane Erick, after the Category 3 hurricane made landfall on the southwestern coast of Mexico Thursday morning.
The child drowned in a swollen river near the city of San Marcos, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said during a news conference on Friday.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hurricane Erick came onshore in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca near Santiago Pinotepa Nacional around 5:30 a.m. CST as a powerful storm with peak winds of 125 mph. By Thursday evening, Erick had plowed inland and has since dissipated, but not before lashing the region with torrential rains and destructive winds.
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Locals walk amid debris following the passage of Hurricane Erick in Bahia Principal, Puerto Escondido, state of Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 19, 2025. Erick, a category 4 hurricane on a scale of 5, made landfall in the Mexican state of Oaxaca (west) on the Pacific coast, the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. (Photo by CARLO ECHEGOYEN / AFP) (Photo by CARLO ECHEGOYEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A view of the damages following the passage of Hurricane Erick in Chacahua, Oaxaca state, Mexico on June 19, 2025. Hurricane Erick was downgraded on June 19, 2025, to a tropical storm as it advanced through southern Mexico, after entering the country’s Pacific coast early this morning, where it left only material damage, authorities reported. (Photo by CARLO ECHEGOYEN / AFP) (Photo by CARLO ECHEGOYEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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An aerial view of the damages following the passage of Hurricane Erick in Chacahua, Oaxaca state, Mexico on June 19, 2025. Hurricane Erick was downgraded on June 19, 2025, to a tropical storm as it advanced through southern Mexico, after entering the country’s Pacific coast early this morning, where it left only material damage, authorities reported. (Photo by CARLO ECHEGOYEN / AFP) (Photo by CARLO ECHEGOYEN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A view of damage caused by Hurricane Erick after it made landfall in Santa Maria Tonameca, Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 20, 2025. The storm, downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting as a Category 3 hurricane, disrupted infrastructure, blocked 15 road sections, and left 123,000 users without power.
(Virgilio Luis/Anadolu)
Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado Pineda said 28 shelters had been opened for residents, and as of Friday morning nearly 1,600 people had taken advantage of the protection and care there. Multiple roads remain blocked due to landslides and fallen trees, Pineda said.
Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission said it had restored nearly 70% of the outages caused by Erick by Friday morning and has deployed specialized technical personnel to address power outages across the region.
Sheinbaum says she plans on touring Oaxaca, Acapulco and other municipalities affected by Hurricane Erick.
Erick a historic hurricane for June
The monster storm started to rapidly intensify Wednesday and eventually reached Category 4 strength with winds of 145 mph as it scraped the coast before making its official landfall Thursday morning.
Erick made history as the earliest major hurricane (Category 3 or greater) landfall in Mexico since records began, and that includes both the Atlantic and Pacific basins.
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A view of damage caused by Hurricane Erick after it made landfall in Santa Maria Tonameca, Oaxaca, Mexico, on June 20, 2025. The storm, downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting as a Category 3 hurricane, disrupted infrastructure, blocked 15 road sections, and left 123,000 users without power.
(Virgilio Luis/Anadolu / FOX Weather)
HURRICANE ERICK SLAMS MEXICO WITH STORM’S REMNANTS REMAIN A FLOODING THREAT
Being a major hurricane, Erick will also set the record for being the strongest June cyclone to make landfall along Mexico’s Pacific coast, triggering some memories of Hurricane Otis in 2023.
Otis was the strongest hurricane to ever impact Acapulco, with sustained winds of 165 mph, but due to the cyclone’s unpredictable nature, many were caught off guard by its fury.
Mexican authorities reported more than 50 deaths and damage estimates that eclipsed $10 billion from the late-season disaster.
