Hurricanes

The American Red Cross said it will receive $100 million in emergency funding from Congress to replenish its disaster relief reserves, which were depleted as the charity plunged into debt to provide shelter, food and other services during a string of hurricanes this summer. The Red Cross has spent about $260 million this year responding to natural disasters, including the spring tornadoes, California wildfires and Midwestern floods, as well as hurricanes Gustav and Ike. To fund the relief, the charity took out loans totaling $200 million, Red Cross President Gail J. McGovern said.

Hurricane Norbert strengthened into a Category 4 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast as it churned on a path expected to take it over the southern half of the Baja California peninsula this weekend. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Norbert was likely to turn northeast over the next two days. Officials across the region were setting up shelters and preparing for possible evacuations. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 135 mph, the hurricane center said. It was expected to reach a relatively unpopulated stretch of coast well north of Cabo San Lucas before dawn Saturday.

Hurricane Norbert weakened to a Category 1 storm as it headed toward Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula but was still expected to be a hurricane when it hits land over the weekend. Mexico issued a hurricane watch for the southern half of the peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas. Norbert's winds have decreased to 90 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters said it remains dangerous. Tropical Storm Odile, meanwhile, grew a little stronger, with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph. It was about 135 miles southeast of Puerto Angel in Oaxaca.

Hurricane Norbert regained power as a Category 2 storm in the Pacific, churning toward Baja California and forcing hundreds of people to seek shelter. Packing maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, Norbert was due to make landfall today near the city of La Paz, avoiding a direct hit on the beach resort of Los Cabos, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Authorities began evacuating people from low-lying areas on the western side of the Baja peninsula. Fishermen hauled boats out of the water.

Hurricane Norbert swept across Mexico's southern Baja California peninsula on Saturday, tearing off roofs and forcing hundreds of people to flee flooded homes. It hit land near Puerto Charley on Baja's southwest coast as a Category 2 hurricane, but weakened to Category 1 after emerging over the Gulf of California, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Norbert was expected to reach mainland Mexico before dawn today.

Hurricane Norbert dissipated into a tropical depression over the northern mountains of mainland Mexico after ripping off roofs, flooding streets, and forcing thousands to seek shelter in Baja California. Norbert hit the mainland Mexico's Sonora coast early Sunday as a Category 1 hurricane with winds near 85 mph after crossing the Baja California peninsula on Saturday. The storm weakened rapidly as it moved inland. But the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it could dump up to 6 inches of rain over northwestern Mexico.

Hurricane Paloma churned toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba with winds of about 75 mph. Forecasters say the storm could become a major Category 3 hurricane by Saturday as it approaches Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for the Caymans, where the storm could dump up to 8 inches of rain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Paloma pounded the British Caribbean territory of the Cayman Islands after strengthening into a dangerously powerful storm, posing a serious threat to storm-battered Cuba. Businesses, schools and offices closed down in the Caymans, a major financial center, while residents shuttered homes and visitors tried to flee as the late-season storm hurtled northward. Paloma gathered power menacingly fast as it neared Grand Cayman Island and it became a major hurricane -- Category 3 on the five-step scale of storm intensity -- with top sustained winds of 115 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Powerful Hurricane Paloma slammed into southern Cuba as authorities scrambled to move hundreds of thousands of people to safer ground. It made landfall near Santa Cruz del Sur as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, but weakened into a Category 2 with 110-mph winds and torrential rains, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Industrial production rebounded in October after refinery shutdowns from Gulf Coast hurricanes caused the biggest drop in September since 1946. The 1.3% gain wasn't enough to make up for the 3.7% September plunge, and output shrank by 0.7% in each of the last two months after excluding the effect of the hurricanes and a Boeing Co. strike, the Federal Reserve said. The New York Fed said its factory index fell to a record low.