Hurricane Polo Triggers Evacuations in Mexico's Baja California Fishing Town

Floodwaters inundated streets in a fishing town on Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Monday as Hurricane Polo closed in on the region, driving families from their homes.

In Puerto San Carlos, a community of roughly 5,700 people, residents waded through the water carrying children, pets and belongings. High tides and waves had breached sea barriers, and hundreds of people across the area had already moved to shelters set up in schools and other facilities.

Among those preparing to leave were Israel Vélez and Wenceslao Tovar, whose house had taken on water. "The water has already come in from behind. Our house is already flooded," Tovar said. Vélez said they had not yet decided whether to seek shelter nearby or head to the neighbouring town of Constitución.

Members of Mexico's armed forces moved evacuees through the flooded streets in military vehicles, with women and children among those climbing aboard trucks that then departed the town.

Polo was a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, or 185 kph. It was forecast to drop between 6 and 12 inches, or 15 to 30 centimetres, of rain across parts of Baja California Sur.

Forecasters warned of life-threatening winds, flash floods and mudslides. Mexican authorities urged residents whose homes were at risk to seek shelter and stay off the streets.