Bay Area families pray after Patricia hits Mexico

SAN JOSE (KTVU) – Parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in San Jose prayed for Mexico on Friday as Hurricane Patricia made landfall on the country’s western coast.

Prior to the vigil, KTVU spoke to concerned Bay Area residents outside the Mexican Consulate in San Jose.

The potentially catastrophic hurricane had Maria Manjarrez thinking of her loved ones in Mexico.

“All of my family is there except my husband and kids,” she said. “I already called my mom and they say everything is okay Guadalajara."

Guadalajara is about two hours from the western coast, but concerns over Patricia’s category 5 hurricane status are widespread.

“We are kind of scared,” Israel Tovar said. “I am from Monterrey. We know it’s going to be a huge impact on the ones on the coast.”

A spokeswoman for the Mexican Consulate in San Jose said they were keeping people up to date with information about shelters and evacuations on their website and through social media.

“It’s very important for us to keep calm and especially to be well informed,” Loren Cruz, Spokeswoman for the Mexican Consulate said.

Cruz said any Americans stuck in the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta should contact the U.S. Consulate in Mexico. She said all airports in the area are closed.

According to the Mexican Consulate, shelters have been set up in the states of Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán.

The consulate said they will tweet updated information using the handle: @ConsulmexSFO.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will remain open overnight.

The vigil will end with a mass Saturday at 7 a.m.