More than 1,000 evacuated from Mexico's Los Cabos ahead of tropical storm
More than 1,000 evacuated from Mexico's Los Cabos ahead of tropical storm
SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico (AP): More than 1,000 residents of the twin resorts of Los Cabos were being evacuated to shelters ahead of Tropical Storm
Paul, which was weakening as it headed toward the tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.
Rains unleashed by Paul threatened to cause flooding on Mexico's mainland and the weakening storm was expected to slip just south of Los Cabos early
Wednesday. Victims of the storm included a Baja California fisherman who died after slipping off sea-battered rocks and an American who was swept out
to sea and feared drowned.
Paul had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving northeast at about 14 mph (22 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami
said on Tuesday.
Forecasters warned that remnants of the storm could still dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain in the mountains on Mexico's mainland,
potentially causing severe flooding.
City government spokesman Jorge Castaneda said more than 1,000 residents of the twin towns of Los Cabos were being evacuated to temporary shelters.
Most of the evacuees lived in shantytowns in high-risk flood areas.
Late Tuesday, Paul was 130 miles (210 kilometers) southwest of Cabo San Lucas on southernmost Baja California, and about 300 miles (480 kilometers)
southwest of Mazatlan on the mainland. A tropical storm warning was in effect for the tip of Baja.
A 23-year-old Mexican fisherman died Monday after he slipped off rocks pounded by the rough sea in Todos Santos, north of Los Cabos, according to Baja
California Sur state civil defense director Jose Gajon.
On Tuesday, a squad of rescue workers from the Los Cabos municipal fire department scanned the waves at the beach where John Skoor, 65, of Moses Lake,
Washington, was swept away by what witnesses described as "an enormous wave'' while walking along the beach.
"They were walking along the beach, and a wave swept them away, it battered them and swept them in. They managed to get one of the women out, but they
couldn't get him,'' said city rescue worker Juan Oved. "We're waiting to see if the waves bring him back to shore.''
Gilberto Guzman, manager of the SolMar Hotel said Skoor had visited before, and was aware of the signs posted at the beach warning the public against
swimming. "They were walking on the dry sand, not even on the wet part.
Then an enormous wave came,'' Guzman said. "Within minutes, we had 50 people there, we managed to save on of the women.'' Skoor was apparently walking
with his wife and a sister at the time of the accident.
There were heavy rains in the morning, filling streets ankle deep with water in the resort.
Paul, with winds that reached 110 mph (175 kph) on Monday, was the third hurricane to threaten this popular resort area this season.
San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are popular with sports fishermen and celebrities and famous for its deep-sea fishing, golf courses and beaches
flanked by cactus-dotted deserts.
Tourists were taking the wet weather in stride.
"I'm used to this kind of thing. I spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy so it doesn't bother me,'' said Keith Howard, 55, from Saturna Island in Canada's
British Colombia, who was walking in cloudy San Jose del Cabo. "I don't plan on going fishing though.''
Mexico was struck by two Pacific hurricanes last month. Hurricane John battered Baja California, killing five people and destroying 160 homes, while
Hurricane Lane hit the resort town of Mazatlan, causing relatively minor damage.
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
