Hurricane Erick slammed into Mexico’s Oaxaca state as a dangerous Category 3 storm Thursday morning, unleashing powerful winds at the coast and heavy rains that have caused deadly flooding in the region.

Hurricane Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast but weakened to a Category 2 storm before making landfall on Thursday.

Authorities in southern Mexico were still assessing damage and watching rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region