In Colonia Unidad Real, a neighborhood that sprang up years ago in a former creek bed, hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed with debris scattered everywhere.
After spending a harrowing night with her in-laws, Graciela Castillo Monroy, 44, and her family returned to find the roof of their home gone and all but two of its cinderblock walls collapsed. They piled what belongings could be salvaged atop a soggy mattress and began picking up the pieces.
“Well, time to start over again,” Monroy said. “Because we don't have any other option but to forge ahead.”
Odile continued to lash the state of Baja California Sur with strong winds and heavy rains as it marched northward, but it weakened to a Category 1 hurricane and was expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm late Monday night.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph (120 kph) Monday evening. It was centered about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Loreto and moving to the north-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph).
Odile was expected to drop 6 to 12 inches of rain with isolated accumulations of 18 inches, threatening to unleash dangerous flash floods and landslides.
“We have many flooded streets and are maintaining five shelters with between 500 and 800 evacuees,” said Eduardo Bautista, director of Civil Protection in the state capital, La Paz. “So far we have no casualties.”
A hurricane warning was in effect from Punta Abreojos to Santa Rosalia.
Meanwhile in the central Atlantic, Hurricane Edouard strengthened to a Category 2 storm Monday with maximum sustained winds near 110 mph (175 kph), although it was forecast to remain far out at sea and pose no threat to land.
The U.S. hurricane center said Edouard's center was 575 miles (930 kilometers) east-southeast of Bermuda and was moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
