Mexico evacuates thousands ahead of Hurricane Jimena

LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — Heavy winds, battering waves and bands of intense rain pummeled residents and tourists in this vacation resort as Hurricane Jimena, one of the largest hurricanes this year, neared the coast Tuesday.

The center of the roaring hurricane, which weakened to a still-threatening Category 3, was on course to pass west of Los Cabos late Tuesday or early today, close enough to punish the picturesque beaches and fishing villages that fringe the harsh desert.

Ashley Legeyt, 62, a retiree from British Columbia who lives in Cabo San Lucas, pushed through the oncoming storm onto an exposed rocky point where he leaned against the onslaught of the hurricane’s outer winds.

“It’s like getting sandblasted with water!” said Legeyt, his back to the wind, sand and spray blowing in from the ocean. “It’s quite strong.”

The Mexican government declared a state of emergency for Los Cabos and the Baja California Sur state capital of La Paz, and schools, many ports and most businesses were closed. Rescue workers from the Red Cross and the Mexican military prepared for post-hurricane disaster relief, and two Mexican Army Hercules aircraft loaded with medical supplies arrived.

Francisco Cota, head of Los Cabos civil defense, said that more than 2,000 people from low-lying neighborhoods and squatters’ camps had sought refuge in shelters at local schools, and many more were staying with relatives in safer areas.

An additional 5,000 people have been evacuated, and 159 shelters with a capacity for 29,000 people now stand ready, state civil protection spokesman Luis Armando Diaz.

Though the storm’s eye was forecast to pass west and north of the city, 20,000 more were expected to evacuate elsewhere in the peninsula.

Children ran through strong gusts of wind Tuesday waving pieces of paper and trash bags under bands of intermittent rain. Forecasters expect the hurricane to leave between 5 and 10 inches of rain in Baja, but already the dry stream beds had turned into gushing torrents.

Most tourists had already fled by Tuesday, leaving 75 percent of hotel rooms vacant. But some of those who remained came out to see the storm with avid anticipation, fighting the winds and intermittent bands of rain at the shore.