Hurricane Polo lashes Mexico coast as Nolo strengthens near Hawaii

Powerful Hurricane Polo battered Mexico’s Pacific coast with heavy rain and flooding on Thursday, while Tropical Storm Nolo strengthened south of Hawaii and threatened to bring potentially dangerous rainfall, flooding and landslides to the islands.The US National Hurricane Center warned that Polo could trigger life-threatening flooding and landslides along Mexico’s western coast. In the port city of Lazaro Cardenas, seawater swept into homes, leaving furniture and wooden debris scattered across streets.Mexican authorities opened shelters, evacuated residents from vulnerable areas and deployed 15,000 security personnel along the coast as Polo moved offshore.Meanwhile, Nolo was gaining strength south of Hawaii’s Big Island, with forecasters expecting the storm to become a hurricane. Heavy rain was forecast to begin affecting Hawaii on Thursday, with hurricane-force winds possible by early Saturday.Polo brings flooding threat to MexicoPolo has fluctuated between Category 4 and Category 5 strength, both classified as major hurricanes.