Hurricane Emily battered Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts on Monday, forcing thousands of tourists out of fancy seafront hotels and into crowded shelters to escape its destruction. Emily knocked out power lines, blew down trees and whipped up dangerous waves at the popular resort of Cancun and along the "Maya Riviera," normally a vacation playground of long, white beaches and calm seas. There were no early reports of injury or death. After killing at least four people in its swing across the Caribbean, Emily hit Mexico's coast as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 135 mph (215 kph). Cozumel island, a popular diving destination, appeared to take the hardest hit.
