Huracán Polo bore down on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday, bringing storm surge, high winds and heavy rain that forecasters said could trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides. The storm had already been a Category 3 system on Sunday evening, with top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph).
At that point, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Polo was moving north at 12 mph (19 kph) about 270 miles (435 kilometers) west of Cabo San Lucas and was expected to lash the peninsula with heavy rainfall overnight. Forecasters said the storm would cross Baja California, hit the Mexican mainland and later in the week could send heavy rain and flooding into parts of the U.S. Southwest.
Puerto San Carlos boards up
In Puerto San Carlos, residents boarded up homes on Sunday while workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up the embankments protecting the town. Authorities said 90% of Puerto San Carlos was susceptible to flooding, and some families planned to evacuate to shelters in Ciudad Constitucion, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away.
Rocío Sánchez, a fisherman in Puerto San Carlos, said Civil Protection told residents to leave because the barriers might fail under the tides, waves and wind. “Civil Protection told those of us here in San Carlos to evacuate because this is a high-risk area. With the current tides, the expected waves and the wind, the earthen barriers they built (to prevent flooding) could give way. They said they wouldn’t hold.”
San Juanico and the navy response
San Juanico sat in the storm’s projected path, and the village’s limited infrastructure added to the pressure on residents preparing for the weather. Gloriely Robles Meza, who manages a small hotel there, said army soldiers arrived to prepare a shelter and support possible emergencies. “Our people are concerned about this event.” She added, “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
The Mexican navy said it had gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in Guaymas and Mazatlan and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm. In San Juanico, there was concern that washed-out roads could block access to medical facilities, raising the stakes for the shelter preparations already underway.
Future rains in the U.S. Southwest
Polo’s next phase mattered beyond Mexico because forecasters said the storm could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week. That forecast follows the storm’s path after crossing Baja California and reaching the Mexican mainland, extending the risk from coastal flooding to inland runoff and access problems for towns that sit along the route.
For residents in Puerto San Carlos and San Juanico, the immediate decision is whether to stay behind earthen barriers and shelters or move farther inland before roads deteriorate. The storm’s Tuesday and later-week impacts will turn on how much of Baja California it crosses and how quickly its rain band reaches the mainland.
