Jimena weakens as it plows into Mexico, killing 1

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer

LOS CABOS, Mexico – Hurricane Jimena unleashed flooding that killed at least one man and cut off hundreds of people in remote fishing villages on Mexico's Baja California peninsula before mellowing into a drifting tropical storm Thursday.

The 75-year-old victim drowned when his house flooded in the village of Mulege on the west coast of the peninsula, said Jose Gajon de la Toba, director of Civil Protection in Baja California Sur state. He said one other person was missing in the fishing village of San Buto.

Emergency workers evacuated thousands of people from shacks and low-lying areas before Jimena made landfall Wednesday, but some refused to leave their homes for fear their possessions would be stolen.

Flooding stranded several villages along the eastern coast of the peninsula, said Joel Villegas, mayor of the Comondu municipality that encompasses the villages.

He said some people were in need of medical help, including a woman who had a miscarriage and another person with a broken arm. Villegas said he would ask the federal government for helicopters to rescue the injured.

About 4,000 people in Comondu lost their homes in the storm, Villegas said. The federal government promised to help residents rebuild but urged patience.

"A house is not built from one day to the next," Social Development Secretary Ernesto Cordero said after flying over Comondu, Mulege and the resort town of Loreto.

Forecasters warned of more flash floods and large waves, but those were expected to gradually subside as the slow-moving storm made its way on a projected path back out over the Pacific Ocean.

Earlier this week, tourists evacuated and residents sought shelter as Jimena roared toward the multimillion-dollar resorts of Los Cabos as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds topping 150 mph (240 kph). But the beaches and condominiums where Hollywood stars vacation year-round were mostly spared, and the hurricane has since moved its way north ripping off some roofs and toppling power poles in smaller farm towns and fishing villages.

Loreto, the nearest significant resort town to the area where Jimena made landfall, suffered some damage to homes and streets, as well as Ciudad Constitucion, an inland town.

The storm brought some much-needed rain to the drought-stricken peninsula.

"Fortunately, this kind of weather phenomenon we're going through brings with it a lot of water," National Water Commissioner Jose Luis Luege Tamargo told the Cabo Mill radio station. "This rain undoubtedly will fill up the aquifers of the whole region."

Jimena was not expected to provide any relief from fierce wildfires in Southern California, however, as it headed back over the Pacific, said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

At 11 p.m. EDT (0300 GMT) Thursday, Jimena's maximum sustained winds had decreased to about 40 mph (65 kph) and the storm was expected to weaken to a depression overnight. It was centered about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Santa Rosalia, Mexico, and was nearly stationary, the Hurricane Center said.

Also Thursday, Tropical Storm Erika weakened to a remnant low with winds of 30 mph (45 kph) after brushing past Antigua and Guadeloupe, churning up rough surf and dumping some rain but leaving little noticeable damage.

At 11 p.m. EDT Thursday, the remnants of Erika were centered about 115 miles (185) kilometers) southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The storm was moving west at about 7 mph (11 kph).