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Thousands flee as Hurricane Norbert strikes Mexico

12/10/2008

Thousands of people have fled their homes on Mexico's western court after Hurricane Norbert hit with 103mph (165km/h) winds and heavy rains.

The Category 1 storm made landfall around 25 miles southeast of Huatabampo on the Baja California Sur peninsula, uprooting trees and forcing thousands out of their homes.

Almost 3,000 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters on the Pacific coast after swirling rains battered housing.

"We came here because our roof is gone, the wind ripped it off," said Luis Mesa, 39, was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.

"They said on the radio it was going to get really ugly."

And Maria Espinosa, who took shelter in a school with her daughter and two grandchildren, added: "We left our house because we were scared.

"Our house is pretty poor and the water was already coming in."

Though Norbert is due to move over Mexico's mainland, it is weakening and should not gain strength as it crosses north-western Mexico before reaching the US state of Arizona.

According to state protection services, some 40 per cent of homes on the islands of Margarita and Magdalena were totally or partially damaged by the storm, while 13,000 homes in La Paz and 8,000 Ciudad Constitution lost their power.