We got hit hard. The worst hurricane in our history or the worst since l959 depending on who you talk to. When you have eight feet of water in your house you aren't too picky about details.
Many homes and businesses are completely gone or have suffered major damage. For a lot of Americans who bought houses along the river it is the third time they have been wiped out in six years. Many will not be returning/rebuilding.
My house came through very well. I had bought on a hill high enough above the water to be safe from the flooding. My rock-filled tirres provided good drainage and, for the first time, my kitchen stayed dry. Some water under the doors but very minor damage. Had some branches down in the yard but none of m y fruit trees or dragonfruit were seriously hit. My friends Manuel and Arayle who have a farm and a store lost fifty out of one hundred small orange trees and their store was completely flooded. The store is open again and I gave them a box of dragonfruit cuttings. I'll be looking for trees when I go north in November.
As always, Tony has been a tremendous help. He and Fely had twenty-nine relatives in the two bedroom home they normally share with two of their children!
International Red Cross money does not get here so please don't make any donations on our behalf.
It took me four days to make the last sixty miles home. I hunkered down and had shelter from the rain so I was fine. I had a big bag of boxes of crayons that I'd gotten for Christmas, so I handed them out to the local kids in the town where I was stranded.
There is another dangerous looking storm south of Cabo now. Supposed to be moving north northwest but it's dark and threatening here now.
I got a flu bug last week. Not West Nile and probably not dengue but I'm still tired. I'm sure a lot is that I'm still recovering from the shock of seeing the damage that was done to the town. There was one death. In Santa Rosalia, 35 miles north of us, many were killed when a cliff collapsed on a road that ran by the Sea of Cortez washing many people and cars out to sea. We'll probably never know how many died there.
The people here are amazing. They get together to clean up the streets, houses and businesses. One advantage to the lack of outside help is that it's not expected so everyone just gets to work to do what needs to be done.
Our weather has begun to cool down which is a blessing. Our electricity was restored in a week - they worked night and day to replace all the poles I'm about three miles from town and every electric pole was gone. It was another week before water lines were redone - men shoveling by hand, no back hoe. The phone came on again the same day as the water. Part of our road is still closed necessitating a small detour. I am not complaining.
I am so grateful to have been spared serious damage. I returned home with a lot of cuttings for dragonfruit and other epis. I got them all potted up while still in shock from seeing the damage (and before our utilities were restored). Many of them are showing new growth. Tony has been alternating clean-up work with moving ahead work. Yesterday he did the first cement pouring into a swan mold.
We are moving forward.
Thanks for all the prayers and good thought sent by friends here. Keep them coming.
katiebear
Recovering from Hurricane Jimane
Good to hear you are okay up there on your hill and hope you are recovered from the flu - at work so I'll catch you later....
Katie,
I wondered how you fared, glad to hear you and yours are all right but sad to hear of all the damage. I remember Mulege, some 40 years ago, but it was a beautiful town with the river and a big prison up on the hill overlooking the mouth of the river. I remember that the wives and families of those in prison lived in the town and walked up the hill every day with food for their family member. Interesting what you remember. Anyway, glad you are all right and that things are on the mend.
Glad you are alright, Katie. please keep us posted, i'l be praying for you folks there.
back in 2000 we had a terrible flood here, we were cut off from the rest of the world for about three months, thankfully there were planes and helicopters that brought needed help. thousands of people died.
Isaacs
Beyween BofA and Bankcomer I cannot get any money, although my account syas that I have. I've talked to both Bankcomer and BofA and an unable to get any help at this time. Good thing for BofA that I cannot go through the phone wire and throttle them.
I can get credit at the stores where I need it but it's very frustrating.
I found a bunch of water air matresses that I'd gotten cheap at the end of summer a couple of years ago and took them to my friend Saul who is gradually restocking his store. He lost almost everything. His house was also flooded - about four feet of water in the living room.
There are lots of mosquitoes and I seem to have a mild flu-like reaction to their bites so my energy is low. Slept solidly for three hours yesterday afternoon.
The dogs are all fine ad happy I am here. I'm happy they are here.
Tony has been working with concrete - trying to get a swan to come out without a broken neck!
The town is gradually getting cleaned up. The trash piles get renewed as people get more of their property cleaned up.
Wish I wasn't so tired; there is so much work to be done. I remain grateful that I don't have any serious damage to deal with so I can take it easy even though I don't want to.
katie
Tropical storm Olaf is headed directly toward us. Due to arrive Sunday morning but it is already overcast here.
katie
Olaf is already down graded to a tropical depression and is expected to pass just to the north of you Sunday as a remnant low with winds at the centre of about 20 knots. But it's carrying a lot of rain which I'm sure you don't really need any more of.
Olaf has lost most of his energy and is passing to the south of us. We dodged a bullet this time. Today is clear and pleasently cool.
Thanks for all the good thoughts and prayers.
katie
Hi, everyone.
I have dust discovered this thread and read your posts with great interest. So glad you are all right. These clean-ups always take quite a toll on the people who are forced to dig themselves out of them.
I vividly remember the ice storm of January 98 in Montreal. Freezing rain started falling and icing all over the power lines. They were the first to come down, leaving us in the dark and without heat. Trees started breaking apart everywhere, rendering the streets almost impracticable. Freezing rain continue to fall and the electrical towers and communications and cell phone towers started coming down one after the other.
Then, the authorities had to close the bridges because in some places, a foot of ice had accumulated on every part of their structure, compromising their structural integrity. We were among the lucky ones. We only had 7 days without power. Friends of ours were in the dark for 31 days straight in the middle of the canadian winter. Business had no choice but to close. People were working at clearing the streets so emergency vehicles could get through. Evacuation became mandatory if you didn't have a means to heat your home safely. I hope you all recover from this quickly.
You mentioned that International Red Cross money does not get to you. How can that be? Please let us know. I am so sick of my charity money not reaching its destination for one reason or another. Is it because you are too isolated? Are the funds somehow lost? Something more sinister? What is your perception on all that?
Keep well and stay safe.
Sylvain.
Thank you, Sylvain. I was in Oakland for the firestorm and the earthquake that closed the Bay bridge for months. I worked with the Red Cross after a hurricane in Corpus Christi, a flood in Michigan and the firestorm.
While Red Cross does a lot of good in many places, they don't seem to keep track of where the money goes in places like Mexico where graft and bribes are often a way of life. I was told on good authority that the state of Baja Ca. Sur, where I live, receives from Red Cross only as much money as they have colleted in donations. I doubt that this is the policy of the International Red Cross but I also doubt that they keep very close track.
Here, too, we had groups of local people out clearing the streets, both so traffic could pass and business stay open but also to keep down mosquitoes and other insects.
I am considering doing a four-day workshop at CalEarth.com, the organization started by Nader Khalili. He dedicated the last years of his life to finding ways to provide cheap, secure shelter for people who have no shelter or unsafe housing. Check out the web site if you're interested. They ask for donations and it may make more sense to donate to an organization that may be providing more direct help. I don't know if they do any direct disaster reflied but a lot of their allumni are in Mexico and othe third world areas.
My drainage field/rock path kept my kitchen dry and my hillsides which have rocke-filled tire paths and lots of compost held well.
After working with Red Cross and government social services agencies in the States, it's a hugew difference here where people do not expect outside help. I could just cry when I think of the money and resources wasted in New Orleans and other places after Katrina and other hurricanes.
Whne I worked with Red Cross they did not worry much about fraud by victims, figuring that the money at least went to the community. This is not the case in Mexico - any money that goes to Red Cross froom the international organization seems to disappear, probably into the pockets of the administrators. Considering what happened after Katrina, I am not saying the U.S. system works andy better.
We were very lucky that Olaf petered out and died south of us. We got some showers for a couple of days, nothing else.
Our weather is now sunny and cool.
peace,
katie
I don't totally disagree with Katie but I do see things a little differently. We live in a major hurricane area and have had several direct hits of cat 4 and cat 5 hurricanes in the last 5 years. In 2005 we were hit twice by cat 5's, Emily and Wilma, in 2007 Dean hit the southern part of the peninsula with huge storm surges to the north. I've watched the Mexican Red Cross and the Mexican Army move in and do amazing work under incredible hardship.
When Wilma hit the Army was massed at the border of the state for days waiting for her to move on. She sat over us for 3 days with cat 4 and cat 5 winds and the moment she left the convoys rolled up through the state. They brought kitchens, earth movers, and thousands of young military men who threw their guns in the back of the trucks and got out with shovels to work alongside the residents. The Mexican Red Cross provided food to hundreds of thousands of people who were wiped out completely. Hurricane Dean hit in a very poor part of the peninsula with many indigenous villages back in the jungle with few roads. The Red Cross set up as far in as they could get and locals carried food back in to those who couldn't make it out. I have friends who were involved in this, they used their 4 wheel drive jeeps to carry dispensas or food allotments in to the isolated villages where the storm had destroyed their crops and their stored food.
In addition, when any disaster hits the people of Mexico respond with money and food and help. When Tabasco flooded, there were bins in all of the major grocery chains here and they were filled daily by regular people buying a little more and putting it in for those less fortunate. I saw on the news the huge planes that these stores chartered to take the food to Tabasco. I think that there is some corruption involved with any large agencies here, it is unfortunate but I do believe it is going on. Still, there is a lot of good done by govt and private agencies like the Red Cross that does get to the people it is intended for.
I have not seen the requests for aid for Baja here, it may be because it is so far away. I would expect that there would be more appeals in the states closer. During the hurricanes and the floods in Tabasco there were daily flights of aid from the northern states of Mexico, I remember seeing huge planes full of food and medicine arriving from Monterrey. I would expect that to be happening for the Baja as well?
I live around the corner from a large Red Cross facility here in Merida. They offer a lot of services to the public like vaccination clinics for children and the old, emergency care, classes in CPR etc, lots of training for paramedics and ambulance drivers. I've seen the posters for free eye clinics as well. If I had an emergency they would be who I would call. First because they are so close and second because they do have excellent training.
Like most Americans, I was shocked and appalled by the lack of response after hurricane Katrina. Having a similar experience here with Wilma really drove home to me the difference in cultures. Here, no one waited for someone else to fix things, everyone got out and started working. We had electricity back in 3 days and everyone had it within a week. No one was ignored or left to fend for themselves, their neighbors would help them if no one else was available. When I read things like they were still finding bodies in New Orleans a year after Katrina I was shocked. There is no way that would happen here.
Seeing the army out in the mud and the muck with shovels digging out people's houses was inspiring. Unlike the US National Guard that seems to just stand around and look menacing, these young men worked alongside their fellow citizens to do whatever needed doing. There were children and old people eating with them at their mess tents and their kitchens were open for everyone all the time.
Since I'm on a rant. The way that US citizens were treated by our consular office was scandalous as well. The hotels tried to provide for the guests that had not left but there was no water and no food and no electricity for the first few days. The airlines had been told to evacuate the tourists before it hit but the charter planes did not want to take them and also many of the tourists did not want to leave. (??) It's amazing how idiotic some people can get. There is a huge category 5 hurricane bearing down on you and you say well, I paid for a week at this resort and I'm not leaving? Anyway, the road from Cancun to Merida was closed, it had 5' of water on it in places and the Cancun airport was covered in debris. When they could they got the remaining tourists over here to Merida and dropped them at the airport. The Canadian consul was there, with food, water, cell phones and information and help for the Canadians. Where was the US consul? Who knows, but not at the airport. In the end many US citizens were evacuated to Canada through the kindness of the Canadian consul, the old, the sick and the young. There are times that I am embarrassed to admit I am an American and that was one of them. How can you leave your citizens out on a limb like they did in New Orleans and here? What are we paying these people for? People ask me if I have registered with the US consul as an ex-pat here and I just laugh. Why? What would they ever do for me? Not much, I'll tell you.
Sorry, I'll stop now.
Being canadian, I can tell you that although we are not a rich nation and we certainly are not a superpower, we provide help to whomever is in dire straits and requests it. At the drop of a hat, we will treat the sick, clothe the naked and feed the hungry.
When traveling, do sew a canadian flag onto your backpack or your vest, even if you're not canadian. Should political unrest brew while you're abroad, head straight for the canadian embassy. Angry masses with torches and pitchforks usually head direcftly for the US embassy, not the canadian embassy. We don't mind. Remember when the Shah was overthrown in Iran. We hid about 100 americans among our staff for months. If you don't know where to get a canadian flag badge, I can help.
But, I must admit I LOVE this country and I can't help but look forward to being allowed to request US citizenship in 4 years.
Sylvain.
We are now watching to see what will happen with Tropical Storm Patricia. It is headed straight for Cabo San Lucas, due to hit tomorrow.
It is predicted to then move west over the Pacific but that is also what they predicted about Jimene. It is overcast here.
Most of the plastic protectors are still up from our last close call so we will just wait and see.
katie
buena suerte katie. que le vaya bien.
Oh Katie! Not again! Here's hoping it misses you, and you (and the town) stay safe and sound.
Jenn
Thinking of you, Katie.
Thank you for your good thoughts and prayers.
It's a beautiful day here. Tony is here and we checked the nation hurricane center. Cabo now has a watch, while places just north of there have a warning. We'll keep checking.
katie
hope you stay safe, Katie. i have to agree with you on funding of aid work, its that way in mozambique too. a lot of countries donate thousands of dollars to the country, but it all goes into the pockets of the government, South Africa is just as bad now, so sad. i am a south african, and the corruption wasn't as bad before. the government recently closed its anti-corruption department, the Scorpions, which functioned similar to the FBI.
now, i am not saying we don't have good aid agencies, we do, and the volunteers usually really do care, but sometimes there just are some people higher up who want to line their pockets with gold.
Isaac
Just found this thread...had not idea things got so ugly, katiebear. I got a taste of Wilma, but just my yard and gardens were damaged, and the screening of the pool was lost. The gardens have come back and I am actually happy that the screening is gone for it makes my yard look so much prettier.
Keeping you in my prayers.
Hap
Thank you, Hap. It really helps to know how many friends here are keeping me in their thoughts and prayers.
Patricia died out. There is a new storm gathering southeast of us. I keep checking the national hurricane center.
Cabo San Lucas got a lot of rain. We are hoping the governor was there. Outside. Upside down. In lots of mud. We have had little or no outside help here. There are soldiers but all they seem to do is drive around in their big trucks.
katie
How odd. I wonder why they are so different up there.
Tropical storm Rick is now gathering strength and may be headed our way.
It's still quite a ways south but we keep watching.
A local woman who is a friend of mine told me today of the things she and her sister are doing, including driving her old car up into the mountains to deliver food and clothing to people who are isolated.
I took several concrete yard decorations that I bought while in Ca. to my friend to sell at his store. I also loaned him what I could for his first trip north to buy goods for his store since the hurricane. He almost cried. He's been such a good friend to me that I don't feel that what I'm doing is much in comparison Dut it is good to know how much it means to him. He has aged a lot in the six weeks since the hurricane hit. I hope he'll be able to rest up after his trip. Don't know how much business he'll lose with the number of part-time residents who won't be coming back.
Tony and are are starting to pour concrete in the molds I've been collecting. Both the friends I've just mentioned will be getting some to sell. The woman and her sister have a restaurant which is right on the beach, They also got hit hard but what they are doing is being out helping other people as much as they can.
People are still out sweepig the streets -often wearing masks. Parts of the twon are pretty much back to normal but where houses were wiped out in the "trailer parks" across the river it is awful. Very little clean-up has been done. It looks like a war zone.
kb
Hurricane Rick has now formed south, southeast of us. It is still out in the Pacific but we are keeping a close watch. Thank goodness for the internet, makes it easy to check what it's doing.
katie
Katie love, we will all be thinking of you and praying for a non-event....keep us posted when you can, I know how often you loose power and water supply....Mom sends her love.
Jenn
I don't have the stamina it requires to live where life and limb are so often in danger. Like, Jennie, I pray for your comfort and safety.
Christi
Bad news. Hurricane Rick is now a Cat 5 storm and considered a 'super storm' almost overnight. Most of the models still have him turning east and into the tip of the Baja before battering the west coast of Mexico as well. It doesn't look good.
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/ep200920.html
Watching the storm along with you and Katie in Mexico - so very sorry you are facing such a horror. Please keep us posted..
Yes, keep us posted. you are in my prayers and thoughts, Katie.
isaac
Katie
I hope the "Rick" misses your area, doesn't sound like ya'll can take any more. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your friends. Keep us posted.
Tina
Thanks to all of you for your prayers and good wishes. Also for the link to the other hurricane site.
Rick is now predicted to hit near L Paz, which is south of us, but so was the hurricane that hit us six weeks ago. I called Tony to warn him how muh worse it has gotten. He will be here tomorrow. I've talked to several people, offering storage space at high ground. My friend will be back from his trip north tomorrow and Ii'll got in to ask if he wants to unload canned goods, etc at my house to be on the safe side.
For those who haven't seem it yet, check out the www.calearth.org website. Their homes that are built of sandbags look much like igloos and will withstand all kinds of bad weather.
katiebear
The calearth link is very interesting. Too bad I'm too old to see these things come to fruition. Still praying for you katie.
Christi
Here's hoping you're OK.
Hap
We are relaxing here. Rick is now a Tropical Storm and is still way to the south of us.
My friend got back from his trip north yesterday. I think another bad hurricane might have killed him (literally).
I finished brownbagging my bedroom so I'm haveing a double celebration. It began by sleeping twelve hours last night. My kind of party!!
katie
So glad to hear from you katie; was wondering what was happening in your neck of the woods. Plus, it's such good news too. Take care and get some more sleep.
Hap
Katie
I am so glad to see that you will not have to worry about "Rick" and especially glad for your friend. Hey, I like your idea of a party LOL. Get some rest and take it easy for a few days.
Tina
glad to hear the good news, Katie! enjoy your celebration!! there is nothing so wonderful as your bed when you are tired, so enjoy it.
Isaac
Katiebear, hope you are OK. So glad that you were spared from the worst of damage from hurricane Jimane! Will be keeping you in our prayers. I will be so glad when this hurricane season is over for you.
We have been very blessed this season fortunately. There are so many in our area still making repairs from IKE.
God bless you for all of the kind things you do for others! You are so sweet!
My goodness TG, IKE, wasn't that about 5 years ago? Katrina was in 2005 as I remember. That's horrible.
Hap
Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts. I've been having a rough week. Woke up this morning feeling better, lots because I slept well. Realized that I'm feeling the stress even though I wasn't damaged much physically. Thank Goodness Rick suttered out well south of us.
My friend just got back from his second trip to the States. Six hundred miles, mostly on two lane Mexican roads and the made the round trip in four days. Amazing, but I'm sure it's taking a toll on him.
Think I need to do some heavy physical work, like moving tree trunks, to burn off some of this stress. Tony is cementing the floor in my closet/storage room. I'm going to look for tree trunks to relocate, soil to dig and rocks to move.
I, too, will be glad when this hurricane season is over. I check the Hurricane Center every couple of days and heavve great sighs of relief when ther's no activity posted.
katie