Hurricane Grace causes massive damage in Mexico

Hurricane Grace hit eastern Mexico with massive downpour and strong winds early Saturday. The catastrophe caused major power outages and falling trees after hitting one of the biggest storms in years to enter the country's Gulf Coast.

Grace hit a maximum sustained wind of 201km per hour (125 miles per hour), a Category 3 on the five-stage Sapphire-Simpson scale, as it hit the coast early in the morning after the outlying town of Tecolutla in the state of Veracruz.

Small fishing villages and beach resorts were flooded with rain as Grace made second landfall in the country in two days.

Fishermen pulled their ships out of the water and carried them into harbors to avoid damage as the storm flashed its lead to the shore while traders climbed onto the windows of their shops to protect them.

The adminstrative authorities announced that much of central and eastern Mexico had been hit by the storm, but provided no early word on Grace's damage.

Civil protection authorities in Veracruz said the Grace caused power outages and felled the trees. Content posted on social media revealed some damage to the buildings, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Grace lost its strength as it travelled inland but the National Hurricane Center cautioned of a dangerous storm surge - when seawater was pushed above its normal current level - as the hurricane hit.

At 7:00 CDT (12:00 GMT) there was a Category 1 storm with a gust of 150kmph (90mph). The center was about 100km (60 miles) east-northeast of Mexico City, the Miami-based center said.

Before Grace hit the country, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on people in five states to seek refuge on high ground.

"I urge people from the regions of Veracruz, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Hidalgo to seek refuge in high places in families and in tents being set up," Lopez Obrador published on Twitter.

Many of emergency workers from the Civil Protection, Military and State Power Utility Commission Federal de Electricidad (CFE) were prepared for Grace, he said.

By Sunday, the NHC Forecast Grace would create 150-300mm (6 to 12 inches) of rain over currents from eastern and central Mexico, and up to 450mm (18 inches) in various areas. The heavy rainfall could potentially cause areas of lightning and urban flooding, it said.

In Tecolutla, residents spent Friday afternoons hauling hundreds of boats ashore to keep them safe.

"Here in Tecolutla, we have had a prevention culture for many years," said Ricardo Pardinas, who offers boat tours to tourists. "These weather phenomena have caused damage."

Veracruz and its waters are home to several oil installations, including the state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos' port in Coatzacoalcos and the Lazaro Cardenas refinery in Minatitlan in the south of the state. Grace has hit the country well in the north of these cities.