Powerful Odile hammers Mexico’s Baja Peninsula

Hurricane Odile made landfall late Sunday night as a powerful Category 3 storm. It hammered the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula with torrential rainfall and winds up to 125 miles an hour.

Some watched as the historic storm moved in. People in the popular resort town of Cabo San Lucas took shelter in hotel ballrooms — many of them slept on the floor. Others got out just in time.

“We’ve decided since they were going to either evacuate or hold us there in the hotel to come to higher ground so we booked a hotel room up here at the Holiday Inn or Best Western so we can be at the airport anytime there might be a flight going so we can be on standby,” said one tourist.

Odile turned the airport into a disaster zone.

By daybreak Monday, the winds had stopped and the rain died down as Odile weakened to a Category 2 storm.

The storm did damage everywhere — palm trees ripped in half, stores destroyed, parts of hotels collapsed and neighborhoods turned upside down.

Indio resident, Tish Herwig, travels to Cabo often and shared video of what’s left of her favorite restaurant there.

Other locals vacationing in Cabo — Jeanette and Lauri Nichols — shared photos on their Facebook page.

Many residents of the resort town are without power, and communicating via social media.

The storm will continue to weaken. Given the mountainous terrain of the Baja Peninsula that could happen sooner than expected.