Hurricane Polo hit the Mexican state of Baja California Sur early on Tuesday morning with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph), flooding streets, downing power lines, and prompting evacuations in towns in Mexico and the US Southwest.
The storm made landfall in Baja California Sur, a renowned tourist destination known for its beaches and marine life. Locals said they were fortunate to escape alive after rainwater left their communities underwater.
Residents flee as water floods homes
After Polo passed over the small fishing town of Puerto San Carlos on the Baja California peninsula, residents waded through ankle-high water among downed trees that flooded some homes. Shopkeeper Elbia María Bachomo, 40, picked through furniture strewn through her home. She and her three children had gathered their clothes quickly and left for a shelter Monday as water began flooding into their home. Her husband was out on the water fishing for sardines when Polo hit. Bachomo said she was fortunate to escape alive.
The hurricane crossed the Gulf of California and weakened to become a tropical storm as it moved inland to the northeast.
US Southwest hit by flooding
By Tuesday evening, the New Mexico Department of Transportation reported flooded roads and debris on highways across the state, while parts of Arizona had become especially drenched, leading to several water rescues. This week, the flood risk is expected to move into parts of the central US, according to the National Weather Service.
The potential failure of a dam in south central New Mexico prompted evacuations in three small communities with hundreds of residents along the Rio Grande. People in Rincon, Salem and Garfield were told to seek higher ground immediately “before conditions worsen.” Residents were later told to evacuate from nearby Hatch, home to prized green chile crops, and farther north in Placitas.
Urban flooding warnings issued
Wide swaths of the US Southwest were under flood watches as the complex system of tropical weather spread northeast from Mexico, with Polo as the main event. Weather service meteorologist Carter Greulich in Albuquerque said: “Definitely looking at the chances for urban flooding.” Officials added: “Don’t drive through flooded roadways. Remain out of the arroyos, especially in our urban areas.”
The Bureau of Land Management in Arizona also reported significant flooding and damage to access roads in a national conservation area and a sand dunes recreation area in the southeastern part of the state. In Utah, the East Fork of the Virgin River near Zion raged with chocolate floodwater and a shipping container floated downstream. In the small town of Orderville, Utah, where flooding began Monday night, Sabrina Dubay was driving home when her partner called and told her to stay away. Dubay said: “The river came in and swept around the entirety of our house.”
