Mexico storms: Death toll up to 97 as Manuel loses force

Abridged from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24170297

Mexican authorities say 97 people have been killed by storms that hit the country earlier in the week. In the village of La Pintada, near the Pacific coast, a landslide partially engulfed the town. At least 15 bodies have been recovered and almost 70 residents are missing, the authorities said. A helicopter involved in the rescue effort in the area has disappeared with three crew on board, according to Mexican media. Officials are hoping that the helicopter had to land amid bad weather conditions and that the crew have been unable to update their base on their location. Police and navy teams are to begin looking for the helicopter early on Friday when visibility improves, the Excelsior newspaper reports. Tropical Storm Manuel, which on Thursday briefly became a hurricane, has now moved north, forcing hundreds from their homes in Sinaloa state. As it hit land, Manuel brought torrential rain and winds of up to 120km/h (75mph) and caused flash floods in Sinaloa. Schools in the region have been closed and a fishing village of Yameto was evacuated as Manuel approached. More than 100,000 were affected by the hurricane, the State governor, Mario Lopez Valdez told reporters. It then gradually began losing strength, according to the United States National Hurricane Center, going back to being a tropical storm. Manuel is now expected to dissipate before the weekend. However, weather conditions are expected to remain poor over the coming days as a third storm is forecast. The resort town of Acapulco and its surrounding areas were worst hit by Manuel earlier in the week. Since then, more than 10,000 stranded tourists have been airlifted by military planes out of the resort town of Acapulco. Several stores have been looted and residents of the outskirts of Acapulco have complained about being left to fend for themselves.
Exercise 1:Match the words in bold from the text with their definition in list B 1. landslide 2. hurricane 3. torrential rain 4. to evacuate a) a violent wind which has a circular movement b) to move people from a dangerous place to somewhere safe c) to steal from shops and houses d) unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money e) heavy rain

5. to dissipate

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f) a mass of rock and earth moving suddenly and quickly down a steep slope g) to gradually disappear or waste

7. to loot

Exercise 2: Are the following statements True or False? The death toll from the hit of the tropical storm Manuel has risen to 97. A part of the village of La Pintada has been wiped off the map. Officials claim that a helicopter sent to help the stricken areas has crashed. Manuel has hit only northern parts of Mexico. Manuel has caused extreme weather conditions Manuel is expected to lose force soon. Thousands of tourists have evacuated the stricken areas safe and sound. People living in the suburbs of Acapulco have evacuated the place with the help of military planes. Exercise 3: Severe weather crossword ACROSS 4. a large amount of ice, snow and rock falling quickly down the side of a mountain 6. a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry 7. the bright flashes of light that you see in the sky during a storm 9. very heavy rain 10. the sudden loud noise which comes from the sky especially during a storm 11. a mass of rock and earth moving suddenly and quickly down a steep slope DOWN 1. a violent wind which has a circular movement 2. a long period when there is little or no rain 3. small hard balls of ice which fall from the sky like rain 5. a severe snow storm with strong winds 6. a thick cloud that forms close to the ground or to water and is difficult to see through 8. a period of time when the

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weather is much hotter than usual TEACHERS NOTES AND KEYS Pre-reading activities Introduce the subject by asking questions. You can form groups and have students ask each other. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. What natural disasters have you experienced? What comes to your mind when you hear the word hurricane? What areas do hurricanes usually hit? What can cause a flood? What are the effects of floods on people, homes, animals, crops and services? What actions does a state should take in case a hurricane hits an area?

Exercise 1 1f, 2 a, 3e, 4b, 5g, 6d,7 c Exercise 2 1)T, 2) T, 3) F,4) F, 5) T, 6)T, 7)T, 8)F Exercise 3
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Resources
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/ http://www.eclipsecrossword.com/

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Post-reading activities 1. Imagine you are a journalist and you are broadcasting from the stricken areas. Write a report about the topic or interview a local 2. Create a presentation on Prezi about hurricanes and their effects on people.

Eleni Tsagari