Hurricane Polo Leaves Trail of Damage Along Mexico's Pacific Coast

Residents and emergency crews worked through Thursday to clear debris along Mexico's Pacific coast after Hurricane Polo lashed the region with heavy rain and powerful waves, damaging beachfront businesses in the port city of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan state.

High surf swept wooden planks and furniture from wrecked structures into the streets, where locals joined the cleanup effort. "The beach hut collapsed, and now we are cleaning up the wood," said Diana Carmona, a resident of Lazaro Cardenas, as others dismantled damaged buildings and waves continued to pound the shoreline.

Alicia Contreras, who runs a restaurant in the city, said waves reaching about 15 feet (4.5 metres) had badly damaged the walls and roof of her business, leaving her uncertain about how she would recover financially. She said the storm had washed away nearly half of the establishment, including its pool, in the beach-shack area.

Mexican authorities deployed 15,000 security personnel along the coast, opened shelters, moved people out of high-risk zones and suspended classes. Navy personnel were seen inspecting the town, while residents filled sandbags and stacked them into barricades along the beach. Heavy machinery was brought in to remove debris, and workers cleared mud from affected areas.

Polo fluctuated between Category 4 and Category 5 strength as its centre tracked along the coast, though its strongest winds were expected to stay offshore. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that heavy rain could trigger life-threatening flooding and landslides, with Guerrero and Michoacan facing the greatest risk.

Forecasters expected the storm to head out to sea before turning back toward Mexico's coast farther north on Saturday.