Mexico’s Baja California braces for Hurricane Polo, while Hurricane Nolo threatens Hawaii

Open this photo in gallery:A man boards up a house's windows as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday.Eduardo Verdugo/The Associated PressHurricane Polo bore down on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday with a threat of storm surge, high winds and heavy rains, while Hurricane Nolo threatened parts of Hawaii with torrential rain even as the storm edged further away from the state’s islands.Polo was a Category 3 storm with top sustained winds of 205 kph Sunday evening, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm is expected to lash the peninsula with heavy rainfall overnight and could produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Nolo was well southwest of Hawaii and moving away from the Big Island as the weekend drew to a close, but a high-wind warning, wind advisory and high surf advisory remained in effect for parts of the island through Sunday evening. Nolo’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 165 kph.In Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, residents boarded up homes Sunday as workers hauled dirt and rubble to shore up the embankments protecting the town. Authorities said 90 per cent of the community was susceptible to flooding.Residents feared high tides and pounding waves could breach the barriers and send seawater through the community. Some families planned to evacuate to shelters in Ciudad Constitucion, about 60 kilometres away.“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,” Rocío Sánchez, a fisherman, said.Forecasters said Polo would hit the Mexican mainland after crossing Baja California and could bring heavy rain and flooding to parts of the U.S. Southwest later in the week. Polo was moving to the north at 19 kph about 435 kilometres west of Cabo San Lucas at the peninsula’s southern tip, the hurricane centre said.It’s been a busy seasons for Pacific stormsOpen this photo in gallery:Workers build a barricade to help keep water out of their town as Hurricane Polo approaches in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California Sur state, Mexico, Sunday.Eduardo Verdugo/The Associated PressThe Pacific has been unusually active, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Niño years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.With Polo approaching Mexico, the Mexican navy said it has gathered personnel and humanitarian aid in the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlan, on the country’s Pacific Coast, and deployed three vessels that could ship aid to coastal communities isolated by the storm.One of the towns in the hurricane’s projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast. The town has only had full-time electricity for a few years, and still experiences frequent outages. There is concern that washed-out roads could block access to medical facilities.“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”Robles Meza said Sunday that army soldiers arrived in San Juanico to prepare a shelter and provide support for possible emergencies. Also Sunday, Tropical Storm Rachel formed well off Mexico’s southwest coast. The hurricane centre said Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 65 kph and was located about 485 kilometres south of Acapulco. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect. In Hawaii, floods and mudslides are still a riskOpen this photo in gallery:Fire Captain Lui Sales of the Hawaii Fire Department looks for residents to help as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo flood a section of Mamalahoa highway, Saturday, near Naalehu, Hawaii.Gregory Bull/The Associated PressForecasters said Nolo’s outer bands could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island possibly getting up to 50 centimetres of rain. Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.More than 120 National Guard members were activated, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation. President Donald Trump recently approved an emergency declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to co-ordinate assistance and provide funding support.Hawaii residents are still recovering from Hurricane Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.