CATASTROPHEUNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Tropical Storm Hilary batters Mexico and California
5 hours ago5 hours ago
The cleanup has begun in Mexico after Tropical Storm Hilary caused strong winds and flash flooding. Further north, millions of Californians are bracing for unprecedented wild weather.
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California residents filling sandbags
Some beaches in southern California have been shut down, as authorities in places such as Long Beach brace for the impact of the stormImage: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Towns on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula were inundated by floodwaters on Sunday as Tropical Storm Hilary pummeled the border region with the United States.
Hilary made landfall around 250 kilometers (250 miles) south of the city of Ensenada before heading north towards Mexico’s second-largest city of Tijuana.
Across the border in the US state of California, at least nine million people were under flash-flood warnings.
“Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding likely over Baja California and portions of the southwestern US through Monday,” the US National Hurricane Center warned.
Sand barriers were built in southern California to protect property from Tropical Storm HilaryImage: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
California hunkers down amid storm, earthquake
Residents across southern California spent the weekend filling sandbags and stocking up on supplies after Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.
Hilary is the first tropical storm to hit the region in 84 years, and it is set to be the wettest on record.
California continues to mobilize ahead of Hurricane Hilary’s projected landfall in Southern California
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Cities like Palm Springs are set to receive 6-10 inches (15-25 centimeters) of rain from the storm, compared to the 4.6 inches of rain Palm Springs usually receives an entire year.
“This is a dangerous storm,” said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“It’s not just the rain totals but the intensity.”
Major League Baseball games in the areas have been relocated while hundreds of flights in and out of San Diego were also canceled.
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake also struck north of Los Angeles as people hunkered down on Sunday afternoon.
Tropical Storm Hilary battered both sides of the US-Mexico borderImage: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images
Cleanup begins in Mexico
Hilary brought flash floods and strong winds to Mexico over the weekend.
One person died on Saturday when their vehicle was swept away by water. The passengers were able to be rescued.
On Sunday, army troops used bulldozers and dump trucks to clear tons of boulders and dirt that clogged streets during the flash floods.
Tijuana, Mexico’s second-largest city, was rocked by wild weatherImage: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images
The army also opened 35 shelters providing refuge to 1,725 people affected by the storm.
Other emergency workers were deployed to repair toppled power lines that cut communities off from electricity.
zc/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)
