Stronger Hurricane Norbert heads for Mexico's Baja

By Susy Buchanan

LA PAZ, Mexico, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Hurricane Norbert regained power as a Category 2 storm in the Pacific on Friday, churning toward Mexico's Baja California peninsula and forcing hundreds of people to flee to shelters.

Norbert was packing maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (160 km per hour) and was due to make landfall near the city of La Paz on Saturday, missing a direct hit on the beach resort of Los Cabos, a popular destination for U.S. tourists, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Rescue authorities began evacuating people from low-lying areas on the western side of the peninsula, which is not home to oil installations, as the first rains lashed the coast.

"This is now upon us, we expect the worst on Saturday morning," said Jose Gajon, head of the Baja California Sur civil protection agency.

Fisherman in La Paz hauled their boats out of the water and tourists checked out of seafront hotels to head further north, while businesses and offices taped and boarded up windows.

One of the main grocery chains in the peninsula began handing out flyers for customers telling people to stock up on water, tuna, bread and canned chilies.

"I'm doing a lot of praying," said Gibson Lewis, a tourist from Olympia, Washington as he tied up his boat at the marina.

Others appeared relaxed. "The tourists are going to be hiding in their hotels, but the locals know. We have a culture here about hurricanes; we're used to it," said Ricky Lieras, a La Paz resident.

At Los Cabos the beaches were deserted and honeymooners stayed indoors.

After crossing the peninsula, Norbert could pummel into the agricultural states of Sonora and Sinaloa early on Sunday with heavy rains, but was not expected to cause any damage to mining interests in northern Mexico.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Odile, south of Norbert in the Pacific, strengthened on Friday, threatening to dump rain on parts of Guatemala and southern Mexico, putting the region at risk of flash floods and mudslides.

Odile's winds reached nearly 60 miles per hour (95 km per hour) and it is forecast to become a hurricane soon. (Additional reporting by Alberto Fajardo in Los Cabos and Miguel Angel Gutierrez in Mexico City; Editing by Eric Walsh)