00:00A Category 3 hurricane is hitting Mexico right now, and the worst part, it comes after the storm leaves.
00:05This is Hurricane Polo, winds near 115 miles an hour, tearing into Baja, California.
00:10And it's so strong, it's not hitting land once, it's hitting twice.
00:13But here's what everyone gets wrong about hurricanes.
00:15We all picture the wind, roofs flying, trees snapping, yet look closer, and the wind isn't the real problem.
00:20The water is, and Polo is loaded with it, up to 12 inches of rain dumping onto dry mountain land.
00:25On steep ground, the water can't sink in, so it runs, downhill, faster and faster,
00:30until it becomes a wall of flash floods and mud that can swallow roads, cars, and entire homes in minutes.
00:36And the coast? No mercy.
00:37The storm is dragging the ocean itself onto the shore, wave after punishing wave.
00:41But here's the part I promised you, the real danger doesn't come during the storm, it comes after.
00:45The wind stops, the clouds break, the sun comes back out, and people think it's finally over, so they step
00:50outside.
00:50But the water is still rising, rivers keep climbing for hours after the sky goes calm,
00:54and that quiet moment when everyone lets their guard down is the most dangerous of all.
00:58So for Baja California, the threat isn't the storm you can hear roaring in, it's the silent water it leaves
01:03behind.
