'The Mexico Miracle': Prayer Slows Hurricane in Its Tracks

In Mexico, Hurricane Patricia swept ashore as the strongest hurricane ever in the western hemisphere. Amazingly, it caused little damage and no loss of life. Some are calling it "The Mexico Miracle."

The weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean surprised forecasters and the public alike. In only 30 hours Patricia had grown from a tropical storm into a massive Category 5 hurricane, the most powerful one ever documented in the western hemisphere.

As the news spread, Mexico and the world united in prayer, asking God for a miracle.

The hurricane made landfall with winds up to 200 miles per hour, threatening to devastate important tourist areas on Mexico's Pacific coast.

By that time, the hashtag #prayformexico became a trending topic on social media. Although government officials announced the worst, Patricia weakened almost immediately as soon as it touched land, degrading in a few hours to a tropical depression.

"It is a miracle of the Lord!" María a local resident said.

After the storm passed through, CBN Mexico and Operation Blessing joined forces to bring aid to hurricane victims.

"Operation Blessing and CBN en Malacca, Mexico, where Hurricane Patricia came through with record breaking power, and really damaging a lot of the families that live on the coastal region on Mexico. By the grace of God the hurricane didn't go through the major cities of Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta. It went through a small community," Scott Hill, from Operation Blessing, said.

Many homes were flooded or lost their roofs. The devastated communities welcomed the meals provided by the Disaster Relief team.

CBN will remain in the area to provide support to those in need.