Hurricane Polo is churning toward the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, and coastal communities there are already feeling its effects. Telemundo reports that strong winds and heavy surf have begun battering the region as the storm approaches, with forecasters warning it could come ashore as a major Category 3 hurricane.
Local businesses and homeowners in low-lying coastal areas aren’t taking any chances. Shop owners have started stacking sandbags in front of their storefronts to hold back rising water, a common last-minute defense against storm surge and flash flooding in the region. Meanwhile, civil protection authorities have relocated hundreds of families from the most vulnerable neighborhoods to emergency shelters as a precaution.
Baja California Sur, a peninsula flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez), is no stranger to tropical systems, which regularly form off Mexico’s Pacific coast during hurricane season. Authorities are urging residents to stay alert to official updates as Polo’s exact track and intensity become clearer in the hours ahead.
For the full report, including video footage of the preparations underway, check out the original story on Telemundo.
Source: Huracán Polo se acerca a Baja California Sur y ya provoca fuertes vientos y oleaje (telemundo.com).
Image: NASA Goddard Photo and Video, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).