Hurricane Nora Leaves Mark of Destruction Puerto Vallarta Bands Together for Rebuilding

Hurrican Nora struck Puerto Vallarta the weekend of August 28/29, 2021, with the Category 1 hurricane, having sustained winds of 130 kmh and gusts to 155 kmh, leaving destruction mainly from flooding and the overflow of the Cuale and Pitillal Rivers.

A 13-year-old boy, Curro Prados Asencio, died after the partial collapse of the Co-Work Hotel, which was affected by the flooded Cuale River. The flooding of the Cuale River was the worst in 50 years and affected practically the entire downtown area of Puerto Vallarta. A vehicle in which a woman was traveling in was swept away by the floodwaters and its occupant presumably drowned. As of press time that individual had not yet been located. The Insurgentes Bridge near Incanto Theater was destroyed and will have to be rebuilt. But despite all of that, the city and its residents and visitors banded together to immediately start cleanup and rebuilding. Photos by Ashley Weter and Josh Knox