Hurricane Rina heads for Mexico’s luxury resort areas

Hurricane Rina, a Category 2 hurricane, is expected to make landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula in the early hours of Oct. 27. Rina is packing winds of 165 km-h and is expected to produce eight to 16 inches of rainfall over the eastern Yucatan peninsula from the morning of Oct. 26 into Oct. 27, the National Hurricane Center said. The city of Cancun and many high-end resorts populate the area. “A dangerous storm surge will raise water levels by as much as five to seven feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast near and to the right of the track of the [storm] centre,” an advisory from the NHC said. “While Hurricane Rina is not currently directly affecting any landmass, directly in its currently forecast path are the popular tourist destinations of Cozumel Island and Cancun, where there are high concentrations of insured beach resorts, which are typically constructed of reinforced concrete,” said a release from AIR Worldwide. AIR expects limited structural damage to engineered structures in this region, including modern hotels. Wind damage will likely be limited to non-structural building elements, including windows, wall sidings and roof coverings, it says.