Winnipegger worries for Mexican homeland as Hurricane Patricia bears down

A Winnipeg man is nervously watching as Hurricane Patricia bears downonMexico's Pacific Coast,an area dotted with resorts and fishing villages, including one where his family is.

"My family still lives close to PuertoVallarta,so isright in the eye of the storm," said Victor Ramirez, whowas born and raised in Mexico but has been in Winnipeg for about 25 years.

The Category 5 hurricane is expected to make landfall Friday.

With maximum sustained winds near 325 km/h, it is the strongest storm ever recorded in the eastern Pacific or in the Atlantic, according to Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Patricia's power is being comparedto that of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 dead or missing in the Philippines two years ago.

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"There is concern, so absolutely, I will be in touch with my family," Ramirez said.

He said a storm in 2002 struck the area and left a footprint of destruction andPatricia is far bigger than that one.

"It was devastating for my hometown and the surrounding areas. The impact was pretty strong," Ramirez said about the 2002 storm.

He said he is "watching very closely" for the outcome of Friday's storm and will launch fundraising campaigns locally, if there is a need.