Tourists fled resorts at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula as Hurricane

Tourists fled resorts at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula as Hurricane Jimena roared their way Tuesday, but many slum dwellers concerned about looting refused to leave their imperiled shanties.

Jimena, a Category 4 hurricane with winds of near 145 mph (230 kph), could rake the region of harsh desert fringed with picturesque beaches and fishing villages by Tuesday evening.

Police, firefighters and navy personnel drove through shantytowns, trying to persuade some 10,000 people in the Los Cabos area to evacuate shacks made of plastic sheeting, wood, reeds and even blankets.

"For the safety of you and your family, board a vehicle or head to the nearest shelter," firefighter Ricardo Villalobos bellowed over a loudspeaker as his fire truck wound its way through the sand streets of Colonia Obrera, a slum built along a stream bed that regularly springs to life when a hurricane hits.

While the storm's eye was forecast to pass west and north of the city, another 20,000 were expected to evacuate elsewhere in the peninsula.

The Mexican government declared a state of emergency for Los Cabos and the Baja California Sur state capital of La Paz and schools, many ports and most businesses were closed. Rescue workers from the Red Cross and the Mexican military prepared for post-hurricane disaster relief, and two Mexican Army Hercules aircraft loaded with medical supplies arrived.

Children ran through strong gusts of wind Tuesday waving pieces of paper and trash bags under bands of intermittent rain. Forecasters expect the hurricane to leave between 5 and 10 inches of rain in Baja, but already the dry stream beds had turned into gushing torrents.

Hank and Maureen Butt, from Los Gatos, California, snapped photos outside their Cabo San Lucas Hotel, enjoying the driving winds.

"The waves have been great," said Maureen Butt, an intensive care nurse.

"I think we're going to be out of harm's way as far as major damage," her husband said. "We're in a very good structure here."

In a nearby shantytown, Marco Nina, 24, a bricklayer, warily eyed a growing stream that rushed past his plywood and sheet metal home.

"We are here with our nerves on edge," he said. "If this hits, the roof is not going to hold. Other storms have passed but not this strong."

Local officials say Hurricane Juliet, a Category 4 hurricane that killed several people and caused $20.5 million in September 2001, was the most damaging hurricane in the storm-prone state's history. That 145-mph storm made a raging 12-day trip through Mexico and the southern United States.

Many tourists rushed to leave this vacation town, a playground for Hollywood stars where timeshares and condominiums are built up along the coast.

Hotels, which ordinarily have low occupancy this time of year, reported just a 25 percent occupancy rate. The local hotel association estimated 7,000 tourists were left in Los Cabos, a town of 58,000 residents.

But on Cabos' famous beaches, some tourists were doing just the opposite, jumping into the Pacific to play in the hurricane's big waves.

Tuesday morning, Jimena was a Category 4 storm that weakened slightly as it moved north-northwest near 12 mph (19 kph), a path expected to continue for several days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami reported. It was centered about 140 miles (225 kilometers) south of Cabo San Lucas.

Hurricane force winds extended as far as 45 miles (75 kilometers) and tropical storm force winds extended 140 miles (220 kilometers).

Hurricanes reach Category 5 at 156 mph (250 kph).

Farther out in the Pacific, Tropical Depression Kevin had top winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was expected to weaken to a remnant low later in the day or Monday night.

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