Hurricane Polo's Moisture Sends a Flood Threat Across the Southwest

Hurricane Polo was a Baja California problem on Monday, and by midweek it becomes a Southwest problem. The major Pacific hurricane was bearing down on Mexico's peninsula with life-threatening rain, mudslides and storm surge possible. But its lasting punch may come farther north. Tropical moisture is streaming into Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, where it is meeting a large storm system arriving from the west.

Forecasters flagged Santa Fe, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon area for a serious flood threat, and a statewide flood watch covers New Mexico. Four to six inches of rain are possible in spots, and the danger then shifts toward Texas, including Dallas, later in the week. More than 14 million people face flood risk across nearly a dozen states this week. If you live in these areas, never drive through floodwater, especially near arroyos and burn scars. Shallow-looking water can turn dangerous surprisingly fast.

Camp Mystic Owners Propose Selling the Flood-Hit Property

More than a year after a flood killed 27 campers and counselors, the owners of Camp Mystic are asking a bankruptcy court to let them sell the land. The century-old Christian girls' camp in the Texas Hill Country filed a Chapter 11 plan on September 25 that would auction roughly 749 acres and other assets. The owners say they hope a buyer will keep the camp's historic mission alive, though nothing in the plan actually requires that.

Victims' families are not sitting quietly. Their lawyers say they will fight to make sure any sale is fair and transparent, and the families have long opposed demolishing or repairing damaged buildings while their lawsuits continue. Earlier this month, state police also sought search warrants that mention possible manslaughter and child abandonment, although no charges have been filed. Judge Christopher Lopez must approve the plan. For grieving families, it is another painful chapter.

Nor'easter Batters the Northeast for a Second Straight Day

Anyone living near the coast between New Jersey and New England spent the weekend watching water creep where it should not. A slow-moving nor'easter kept pounding the shoreline, and every high tide brought another round of flooding. In Sea Bright, New Jersey, one resident said her garage kept refilling again and again.

Some spots picked up more than four inches of rain since Friday, and at times well over 100,000 customers lost power along the coast from New Jersey to Connecticut. Flights were a mess too, with more than 250 cancelled at Boston Logan by late Sunday morning. Sadly, a 56-year-old man also died in Brooklyn when a tree fell on Saturday, and 67 people were rescued in Sea Bright. Forecasters expect the storm to fade, but officials warned that another high tide could still spill into streets. If you are nearby, avoid flooded roads and keep your phone charged.