PHOENIX — Remnants of Hurricane Polo battered the U.S. Southwest on Tuesday, flooding roadways and forcing evacuations in small New Mexico towns over concerns a dam could fail, the Associated Press reported.
Polo had struck Baja California Sur with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (177 kph) before crossing the Gulf of California and weakening to a tropical storm as it moved inland. By Tuesday evening the New Mexico Department of Transportation reported flooded roads and debris across the state, while parts of Arizona saw water rescues. Residents of Rincon, Salem and Garfield along the Rio Grande were told to seek higher ground; people in Hatch and Placitas were later ordered to evacuate.
A person stranded atop a vehicle in floodwaters west of Phoenix was rescued by helicopter, Arizona Fire and Medical Services video showed. In Utah’s Zion National Park, a helicopter pulled three people from Heaps Canyon after flash flooding. National Weather Service forecasters said flood risk was expected to shift into parts of the central United States later in the week. Tropical Storm Rachel continued parallel to Mexico’s Pacific coast, while Hurricane Nolo remained a threat in the central Pacific.
Sources: Associated Press via NBC News, U.S. National Hurricane Center
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