MEXICO: Parts of Mexico's Baja California flooded after Hurricane John sweeps through

Hurricane John crept up Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Saturday (September 02) after blasting this tourist port city with wicked winds and torrential rain that knocked out power but caused no deaths. John flattened trees and electric power poles and sent advertising signs flying overnight in La Paz, a city of 200,000 people and the capital of Baja California Sur state. Rescue workers forced local residents in Los Cabos to spend a second night in the shelters set up for people living in areas facing the greatest threat from flooding and winds. Several roads in Los Cabos were flooded on Saturday, and there was a possibility that those in shelters would have to spend a third night away from their fragile homes. After John felled up to 40 power poles, authorities cut off the electricity supply to the entire city to prevent downed wires from electrocuting people, rescue workers said. Before John made landfall on Friday evening as a Category 2 storm, around 4,000 people living in low-lying areas of La Paz were moved to shelters to ride out the storm. John weakened on Saturday to a Category 1 hurricane but was still packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph). Forecaster said they expected it to lose more punch as it swirls over the peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm was creeping northwest up the peninsula and was now located about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of La Paz. John was forecast to churn up the east coast of the peninsula and then out into the Pacific Ocean, posing no threat to the United States. Coastal storm surges of up to 3 feet (1 metre) above normal tide levels with battering waves were expected, and rain of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) with isolated deluges of 18 inches (46 cm) were possible, the center said.

ITN Source | September 3, 2006

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