Hurricane Simon brought more wind and rain to Mexico’s Pacific coast on Monday after Tropical Storm Rachel caused deadly flooding in Baja California, with at least five deaths reported across the affected areas.

The Associated Press reported that Simon’s eye remained offshore while its outer bands hit communities between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean near Puerto Vallarta. The storm was still powerful enough to produce dangerous conditions even without a direct landfall in the area described.

In Baja California, rescuers searched parts of Ensenada after floodwaters swept away vehicles and damaged homes. AP reported that at least four people died in the state from the effects of post-tropical Rachel. The wider toll from the two systems was reported at five deaths.

The Guardian reported that flooding had brought down trees and electricity poles, blocked roads and inundated homes along the Pacific coast. Those effects can outlast the strongest winds: damaged roads slow rescue work, power failures affect communications and standing water increases the risk of further injuries and disease.

The two storms also show why a single headline can conceal different hazards. Simon’s immediate threat was wind and heavy rain along the coast, while Rachel’s remnants produced flooding after the system had moved away from its earlier track. Communities can therefore remain at risk after a storm has weakened or changed category.

Authorities and residents were still dealing with damaged infrastructure when the reports were published. Exact local totals, the number of people displaced and the condition of roads and power networks will require continued updates as rescue teams reach more affected areas.

The immediate lesson is practical rather than abstract. Coastal communities need warnings that account for rainfall, floodwater and access routes, not only the storm’s headline wind speed. And when two systems affect connected regions within days of one another, the recovery burden can accumulate faster than public attention does.