Around 26,000 foreign tourists were evacuated this week from Los Cabos after Hurricane Odile swept through the Baja California peninsula, causing extensive damage to homes, hotels and infrastructure but, fortunately, no fatalities.
Odile, a category three hurricane, made landfall late on Sunday, September 14 with wind speeds of up to 125 miles per hour.
Power was cut off to more than a quarter of a million residents, virtually the entire population of the state. The heavy winds uprooted trees, flipped cars and broke hundreds of unshuttered windows. The storm scattered debris over Los Cabos’ normally pristine streets, flooded dozens of properties and washed out streets and roads.
As well as damaging homes and tourism industry facilities – many irreparably – the storm also affected Los Cabos Airport, although it managed to reopen on Tuesday to begin the task of ferrying stranded tourists home. According to tourists who passed through the airport this week, roof panels had been ripped away by the winds, and parts of the terminal were waterlogged.
Many tourists tweeted their concerns as they waited in their hotel rooms for the storm to pass. Mexican authorities said the majority of foreign tourists in Los Cabos were from the United States and Canada. Around 4,000 Mexican tourists were staying in the resort.
Both military and commercial aircraft were used to fly tourists out this week. Many were first taken to other Mexican airports, including Guadalajara and Tijuana, to catch connections to their final destinations.
Aware of the strength of Odile, Baja authorities had evacuated many coastal areas and prepared shelters to receive up to 30,000 people.
In Jalisco and Nayarit, beaches were closed as Odile passed by offshore but no damage was reported. According to the Jalisco Civil Protection Unit, two Mexican tourists who ignored safety procedures died after a large wave swept them out to sea as they watched the storm from behind a low hotel wall.
President Enrique Peña Nieto visited Baja California Wednesday and Thursday, promising locals full logistical support to get their lives back to normal.
State authorities said they were on track to restore all utilities by the end of this week, although this was downplayed by some officials as being far too optimistic.
Odile was downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday as it moved through Sonora and up to Arizona.
The Jalisco Family Development Agency (DIF) and the Cruz Roja were accepting donations this week for residents of Baja affected by the hurricane. Non-perishable items can be left at any DIF and Cruz Roja facility in the state.
On Thursday at 7 p.m., Tropical Storm Polo was making its way up the coast, 270 kilometers south of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, with winds reported of up to 60 kilometers an hour. The National Meteorological Service predicted heavy rains in Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa on Friday and Saturday.