Baja California braces for Lorena

Authorities, residents expecting heavy rains

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico — Hurricane Lorena neared Mexico’s resort-studded Los Cabos area Friday as owners pulled their boats from the water, tourists hunkered down in hotels, and police and soldiers went through low-lying, low-income neighborhoods urging people to evacuate.

Lorena was forecast to pass over or near the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula with heavy winds and soaking rains, and locals who have been through past hurricanes were taking no chances.

“If we don’t get the yacht out, the waves can damage it,” said Juan Hernández, who rents his craft to foreign visitors. It’s “a preventative measure for when a cyclone threatens.”

Authorities in Los Cabos said

787 people have taken refuge at 18 storm shelters. Local security forces urged residents in low-lying areas to evacuate even as some tourists continued to stroll along the streets under cloudy skies. Others returned to their hotels.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami upgraded Lorena to a Category 1 hurricane early Friday. By the afternoon it had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was about 35 miles away, moving toward Cabo San Lucas at 6 mph. Forecasters predicted damaging winds, flash flooding and life threatening surf along the peninsula.

“We arrived on Monday, and we hope to leave Sunday. … We hope there aren’t big problems,” said Minerva Smith, a traveler from California.

A second tropical storm, Mario, was about 345 miles south of the southern tip of the Baja peninsula Friday afternoon and had sustained winds of 65 mph. But it wasn’t expected to hit land.

The port of Cabo San Lucas was closed to navigation. Authorities suspended classes for Friday and prepared to use schools as shelters if necessary.

“We are taking preventive measures,” said Baja California Sur state government secretary-general Álvaro de la Peña. “Rations, gasoline, all supplies are guaranteed. There is no need for panic buying.”

The region was in a state of yellow alert and anticipating heavy rains.

“Lorena is going to dump a lot of water,” said Carlos Alfredo Godínez, deputy secretary for civil defense in the state.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration A satellite image taken Friday shows Hurricane Lorena, top center, followed by Tropical Storm Mario, near the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.