He is awaited with apprehension. Located in the Mexican peninsula of Baja California, on Saturday evening August 19, Hurricane Hilary headed towards the American state of California. Even though it was downgraded to Category 2 on a scale of 5 due to lower than expected wind speed, it is still considered dangerous.
Forecasters say Hilary could be the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years and bring flash flooding, mudslides, isolated tornadoes, high winds and widespread power outages.
At 2 a.m. Sunday morning (Paris time), the hurricane, accompanied by gusts of up to 155 km / h, was located 390 km from the city of Punta Eugenia, in central Baja California, said the National Hurricane Center of the United States, which specifies that it should bring heavy rains to parts of the Mexican peninsula before crossing the American border on Sunday.
“We remain worried”
According to the Mexican weather services, this precipitation accompanied by lightning could lead to flooding in much of Mexico. They called on the population to exercise caution due to a risk of strong waves and floods. In the seaside resort of Los Cabos, popular with foreign tourists, businesses have been protected with sandbags and furniture placed under cover.
“We took all the necessary measures last night, we are now taking care of the workers and ensuring that, while waiting for the hurricane, everyone is well”Omar Olvera, 34, an employee of a restaurant on the beach, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday. “Yesterday we felt the wind picking up, it was finally less strong than expected but we remain worried”Marco Segura, 57, told AFP in Cerritos.
The Mexican Navy reported “minor damage to the civilian population and infrastructure”, such as falling trees, minor flooding and damage to some roads on the Baja California Peninsula. For its part, the city of Tijuana, located near the American border, ordered the closure of all beaches on Saturday and installed half a dozen storm shelters in sports complexes and government offices.
Closed beaches
On the American side, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, declared a state of emergency and the authorities urged the population to complete emergency preparations before sunset on Saturday. Authorities in Los Angeles put the homeless in shelters, and beaches in Orange and San Diego counties were closed.
An evacuation notice for the tourist destination of Santa Catalina Island, nearly 40 miles off the southern California coast, urges residents and tourists to leave. In the region, several municipalities are running out of sandbags that they distribute for free, and grocery store shelves are emptying as residents stockpile food. Joshua Tree Park and the Mojave National Preserve have been closed to prevent visitors from becoming stranded amid flooding.
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Forecasters have warned that Hilary could dump up to 25 centimeters of precipitation – the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain for some areas – in southern California and southern Nevada.
Space company SpaceX has delayed the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite from a base on California’s central coast until at least Monday. Elon Musk’s company said conditions in the Pacific could make it difficult for a ship to retrieve the rocket booster.
“I urge everyone, everyone in the path of this storm, to take precautions and listen to the advice of state and local authorities,” said US President Joe Biden.