Tropical Storm Odile, which made landfall as Category 3 hurricane, weakened as it made its way up Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, after causing major damage to homes, roads and the area's airports and leaving 30,000 tourists stranded.
Officials reported that 135 people were treated for minor injuries in Baja California Sur, where Odile made landfall. At least 239,000 people there were left without electricity, and several communities had no potable water.
Photos: Hurricane Odile Batters Baja
Baja California Sur is known for its seaside luxury resorts peppered among small fishing communities.
Of the 30,000 tourists that were stranded in temporary shelters in hotels, 26,000 are foreigners. On Monday, federal authorities announced that army and commercial planes would be flying them out from the La Paz and Los Cabos airports. Several airports in the area, including the latter, were damaged by Odile.
Footage from El Universal, a national daily, showed hotels with broken windows and surrounded by debris. Highways and roads were blocked by downed trees and cables. Some houses appeared flattened.
Photographs published by Reforma newspaper showed people looting convenience stores as soldiers looked on.
No deaths were reported.
Mexico's National Meteorologic Service said Odile, downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday night, had maximum sustained winds of nearly 60 miles per hour Tuesday morning. At the same time, Tropical Storm Polo was dumping water on Guerrero State, on the Mexican Pacific coast, and Hurricane Edouard strengthened to a Category 1 as it made its way northwest along the central Atlantic.
President Enrique Pena Nieto is expected to fly to Baja California Sur on Tuesday after a military parade commemorating Mexico's independence.
Odile is the eighth hurricane of the season. According to AccuWeather.com, Odile ties a record for the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Baja California Sur since Hurricane Olivia in 1967.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Karla Zabludovsky covers Latin America for Newsweek. Previously, she reported for the New York Times from Mexico, covering regional politics, ... Read more
