Hurricanes

Hurricane Fausto damaged 1,700 homes as it swept northeastward across the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California before being downgraded Saturday to a tropical storm, officials said. Fausto's ranking was lowered when its winds weakened from 80 mph to 45 mph after it came ashore before dawn on the mainland near Topolobampo, a port hit hard last year by Hurricane Ismael. About 90 fishermen died when they were surprised at sea last September by Ismael.

Hurricane Fausto battered Baja California on Friday, downing power poles, smashing windows and disrupting tourism on the usually sunny coast before speeding across the Gulf of California to menace the Mexican mainland. At least one person, a San Diego man, was reported killed when a power line toppled onto a trailer near Cabo San Lucas. More than 2,500 people, mostly in poor neighborhoods around La Paz, were evacuated to shelters at schools, the Red Cross said.

Holiday weekend vacationers kept a wary eye on the sea Saturday as Hurricane Edouard followed a northerly course parallel to the East Coast, throwing pounding surf at the beaches. Though the storm was hundreds of miles offshore, a hurricane watch was in effect from Cape Charles, Va., to Plymouth, Mass., and a tropical storm warning was posted from Cape Charles to Cape Henlopen, Del. Forecasters predicted the storm would keep churning north and bypass North Carolina. At 11 p.m.

Typhoon Sally killed at least 114 people, left 110 missing, destroyed more than 200,000 houses and caused at least $1.5 billion damage when it slammed into southern China this week, officials said. The typhoon sliced across the province of Guangdong on Monday, killing at least 79 people in worst-hit Zhanjiang city, leaving more than 60 missing and injuring 2,300, local officials said by telephone.

Hurricane Hortense lashed Puerto Rico with punishing winds and torrents of rain Tuesday, killing eight people as it snapped trees and power lines, swelled rivers and collapsed hillsides. Half the dead were children, including an 8-year-old girl swept from her father's arms as her 13-year-old sister drowned.

The Orange County chapter of the American Red Cross has sent 11 volunteers to the East Coast to help victims of Hurricane Fran. The volunteers, who flew to Virginia on Sunday and Monday, are helping with damage assessment, disaster health services, communication, logistics and mobile feeding. "It's a huge effort," spokeswoman Sarah Shogren said. "We certainly can use all the help we can get."

Hurricane Hortense battered Puerto Rico on Monday night, churning up high waves, downing trees with strong gusts and leaving thousands without power. Torrential rain flooded low-lying communities and raised fears of mudslides in the mountains. Forecasters said Hortense, the eighth storm and third hurricane of the Atlantic season, was volatile and dangerous. The storm, with sustained winds of 80 mph, was 40 miles southeast of Ponce on Monday night.

Thunderstorms spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Fausto spun off funnel clouds over Texas and poured rain at a rate of more than 2 inches an hour that flooded residents out of one neighborhood. Flood warnings were posted for northern and south-central Texas, and police said many roads and streets had been closed by deep water. The hurricane broke up over Mexico, after killing one person.

Their neighborhoods in tatters but their resolve largely intact, residents of hurricane-battered areas turned Sunday to cleaning up formidable messes, watching swollen waterways and adjusting to life without electricity. At least six people were still reported missing. Five electric utilities reported a total of 488,000 customers still without power. Water, and especially ice, remained crucial commodities, and lines formed at stores offering supplies--many free.

Diane Vandenberg knew the call was coming. Hurricane Fran had pummeled a large swath of the Eastern Seaboard and she is a veteran volunteer for the American Red Cross. By Sunday afternoon, the 60-year-old Anaheim Hills electronics technician was on a plane. "You can't really pay people to do this job, you do it because it makes you feel good to help people in distress," said Vandenberg, while waiting to board a jet at John Wayne Airport for a flight to the disaster area.