Hurricane Wreaks Havoc on Cabo, Closes Airport & Strands 30,000 Vacationers

Hurricane Odile made landfall in the Baja California peninsula Sunday night as a powerful Category 3 storm. The hurricane wreaked havoc on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, closing Los Cabos International Airport, canceling all flights and stranding tourists at the popular resort destination.

In the wake of damage caused by Hurricane Odile, The Weather Channel is reporting that Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) may be closed until October 10. Alaska Airlines told passengers in a travel alert that as of Tuesday morning the airline has cancelled 24 flights because of Odile. The carrier said it is staging empty aircraft and dedicated teams to help evacuate customers as soon as the airport reopens. Like the other major airlines that fly in and out of SJD, Alaska is allowing passengers flying to and from hurricane-affected destinations to rebook itineraries at no extra charge.

The Alaska travel alert included photographs showing the extent of the devastation at SJD. The images show an empty terminal in utter disarray and portions of the airport’s facilities completely destroyed. According to The Weather Channel, it is not the damage to the passenger areas, but the destruction of the airport’s runways that may keep SJD closed to air traffic for weeks.

Stranded passengers face a situation that is complicated by scenes on the ground, where stronger than expected winds, massive flooding, widespread power outages and storm surge tides have crippled the area. Images shared on social media show dozens of hotels and resorts that were nearly obliterated by Odile’s force. Mexico’s Protección Civil has set up more than 60 emergency shelters to accommodate stranded tourists and displaced residents.

Josh Morgerman, a storm chaser covering Odile for The Weather Channel, called the storm “one of the worst cyclones I’ve ever been in.” Morgerman reported that as many as 30,000 vacationers may be stranded in the region.

The Mexican military has begun airlifting stranded tourists out of the affected regions. The first groups of foreigners were flown to Tijuana on Tuesday where they were able to begin making arrangements to return home. The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana is warning U.S. citizens in Odile’s path of destruction to “limit their movement to only absolutely essential travel.”

According to a report from The Washington Post, when Odile made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds in excess of 125 mph, it became the strongest hurricane to hit the Baja California peninsula ever recorded. While hurricanes are not uncommon on Mexico’s Gulf coast, it is much rarer for such storms to make landfall on the country’s Pacific side. Odile struck the Mexico coast near the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.

The situation may soon become even worse in the region. According to tracking reports from the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Polo is following a nearly identical early trajectory as Odile and could strengthen to a hurricane by Wednesday evening.

The State Department has set up a crisis hotline for American citizens affected by Odile. Those residing in the U.S. and Canada can call 888-407-4747. Those residing outside of the U.S. and Canada can call 1-202-501-4444 or email: [email protected]

[Photo: NBC News]