No major damage, deaths from Patricia

Mexico — Early reports on the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia — one of the biggest storms to ever make landfall — were cautiously optimistic: No deaths reported and no signs of major damage along Mexico's Pacific seaboard.TV stations in Mexico broadcast news on Hurricane Patricia throughout the night, showing bright-red satellite images of the monster storm’s landfall on the Pacific Coast and its slow trudge northeast and interviews with residents and officials near the impacted area.Landslides and flash floods were reported, but the mass evacuations that occurred prior to the hurricane’s landing appeared to have worked in saving lives. There were no deaths initially reported or major infrastructure damage, according to early TV reports. Residents from Colima to Puerto Vallarta heeded the warnings and evacuated out of dangerous areas or stayed indoors.

Mario Anguiano, governor of the state of Colima, which includes the coastal city of Manzanillo, toured the impacted area just before midnight Friday – nearly six hours after Patricia’s landfall – and saw minor damage to buildings and roads but said there were no reported deaths or major damage to infrastructure, such as downed bridges.“The saving of lives has been exceptional,” he said in an interview with Milenio Television.Puerto Vallarte resident Carlos Guzman told CNN en Español that his neighborhood never lost power during the storm and he was able to stay in touch with friends in different parts of the city. Rain pelted the city relentlessly, but he noticed no downed trees or power lines in his immediate area, Guzman said. He credited widespread evacuations in the popular resort city for the lack of injuries.“Thank God, we’re in perfect condition,” he told the newscast.Early Saturday, President Enrique Peña Nieto released a televised statement in which he urged Mexicans to stay vigilant but confirmed the storm did less damage than anticipated.“The first reports say the damage has been minor compared to a hurricane of this magnitude,” he said. “But we can’t let our guard down now.”As of early Saturday, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds had decreased to near 75 mph, down from the Category 5 winds of 200 mph on Friday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. The decreased winds mean the hurricane, which made landfall in Mexico on Friday night, is now a Category 1 storm.