Mexico ? Extremely dangerous Hurricane Jimena roared toward Mexico’s resort-studded Baja California Peninsula on Monday, chasing away an international finance conference and prompting emergency workers to start evacuating thousands of people from shantytowns.

Jimena, with winds of near 155 mph, is just short of Category 5 status — the top danger rating for a hurricane — and could rake the harsh desert region fringed with picturesque beaches and fishing villages by this evening, forecasters said. Heavy bands of intermittent rain moved across the resort town of Los Cabos on Monday evening.

Police, firefighters and navy personnel drove through shantytowns, trying to persuade some 10,000 people to evacuate shacks made of plastic sheeting, wood, reeds and even blankets.

Many residents ignored the order, fearful that their few possessions — a TV, radio or refrigerator — would be stolen if they left.