This is the 9346th most frequent Spanish word.
afectó
"Afectó" means "affected" (past tense of "affect").
In this context, 'afectó' is used as a transitive verb to describe the impact of something (the hurricane) on another entity (the coastal region).
El huracán afectó gravemente la región costera.
The hurricane severely affected the coastal region.
Here, 'afectó' illustrates an emotional or psychological influence that news had on individuals.
La noticia afectó a todos en la habitación.
The news affected everyone in the room.
In this sentence, 'afectó' is used to denote lack of influence or disturbance caused by a change to a planned schedule or routine.