Americas Hit by Waves From S. Pacific Storm

A freakishly powerful storm far off in the South Pacific propelled huge swells to the Americas, causing a surge of waves that battered homes and beachfront businesses from Peru to Mexico, authorities said Tuesday.

High surf kicked up as far south as northern Chile and as far north as Southern California. Several hundred people were evacuated in at least eight countries, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported.

The barrage began Sunday, and the waves were starting to weaken Tuesday afternoon, meteorologists said.

The waves resulted from an intense low-pressure system several hundred miles off New Zealand that caused hurricane-force winds and rare snowfall at sea level. Masses of water were shoved eastward, creating unusually big waves.

“The storm system that generated these waves was fairly extraordinary,” said Hugh Cobb at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

In Sipacate, Guatemala, waves wrecked a 10-room hotel, a few restaurants and about 50 homes, emergency officials said. The hotel was evacuated before part of it collapsed.

In the Mexican resort of Acapulco, waves reaching 6 feet began hitting Monday and authorities ordered beaches closed. Knee-deep water engulfed two miles of the Costera Miguel Aleman, the famed boulevard running around the bay. Beachfront restaurants and nightclubs were flooded.

In neighboring Oaxaca state, waves flooded seaside restaurants and hotels along Zicatela Beach, a surfing hot spot in Puerto Escondido.

Mexican soldiers evacuated 200 people and closed 85 businesses.