Hurricane ‘Polo’: Mexican Navy Deploys Nearly 3,000 Personnel in Support of Baja California Sur

ByIván Evair Saldaña and César Arellano

This article by Iván Evair Saldaña and César Arellano originally appeared in the September 27, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The Secretariat of the Navy-Mexican Navy reported this Sunday that it keeps 2,923 personnel deployed in Baja California Sur, in addition to vehicles, aircraft and specialized equipment, to assist the population affected by Hurricane Polo, which as of the early hours of the day remained a Category 3.

As part of the reinforcement of the Plan Marina, at 08:30 the ship Isla Tiburón set sail for Mazatlán, Sinaloa, with an MI-17 helicopter, 2,000 food packages, 8,000 liters of drinking water, two backhoes, three Ural vehicles, three Zodiac boats and sapper equipment.

Navy ship with an MI-17 helicopter on deck and a Plan Marina banner
Photo: Semar

Of the personnel deployed in Baja California Sur, 589 were concentrated in the Naval Sector of Santa Rosalía, in anticipation of greater damage in that area. The Navy indicated that Polo could make landfall on Monday as a Category 2 hurricane, after gradually weakening in the coming hours.

In addition, in coordination with authorities from the three levels of government, 111 temporary shelters were set up in La Paz, Los Cabos, Comondú, Loreto and Mulegé, with a combined capacity to house 14,445 people.

As a preventive measure, the maritime authority closed the port of San Blas, Nayarit, to all types of vessels, while Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, San Carlos, Bahía Magdalena and Loreto, in Baja California Sur, as well as Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, remain closed to small vessels.

Navy personnel with shovels and picks in front of a Plan Marina vehicle
Photo: Semar