Merida Hurricane Update: Dawn Tuesday
We woke to some gusts of wind and a light rain. The clouds in the sky are still moving quickly, but the winds are mild so far. When we woke up the rain was just sprinkling... now it's a steady rain that is more than we want to walk around in, so the dogs have gone back to sleep.
We've been watching BBC and CNN broadcasting from Cancun and Puerto Aventuras. The local standup guy in Puerto Aventuras was making as much as he could out of the conditions, but they looked pretty ho-hum to us... no more than a normal tropical storm with 15-foot waves, he claims. Looked more like 5 feet to us (but we're from California, where they have real waves). We're sure things are different down in Chetumal, but for some reason they chose not to go all the way down there. Hmmm...
Once it gets lighter out, maybe we'll drive around and see if there's anything worth taking a photo to show everyone.
Comments
Cynthia 17 years ago
Glad you guys are okay and that beautiful Merida was spared a hard hit by Dean.
I want to comment on your original post. In my coastal town, I have watched reporters lean as if the wind wouldn't allow them to stand knowing that we were only experiencing an occasional strong gust.
I returned home after evacuating for Rita to find a few small tree limbs in my yard and driveway. I expected much worse after watching our news reporters recap Rita's action in our area. Rita wiped out areas east of us, but those assigned to the Galveston Bay area had little to report and therefore, created a little drama.
I have met you and know that you are wonderful people who would never make light of something serious. Even without meeting you, reading your blog entry, I would have totally understood the message.
Again, glad all is well there. I am in San Miguel de Allende waiting for what is left of Dean to appear. Since I speak little Spanish, I have no idea what we are in store for, though I assume we will be limited to a major rain event and perhaps some gusty winds.
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sally 17 years ago
Working Gringos Thank you so much!
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Krita 17 years ago
Dearest Ron, we are searching for a group that will invite us to lend our skills, labor, and, yes, compassion, to your friends in those more remote areas. Do you know the locogringo.com website? Probably... anyway, I'm going to try through them to see if they have suggestions for how my family and I can help restoration efforts for some of our days there in Akumal. If you, or anyone else has some concrete contact info of Restoration Groups (formal or casual), it'd be easier for us to find a cause to devote our goodwill to.
And try to rest easier... the people of that region, like the ruins of the Mayans, have weathered many of these storms. Just like the grasses and the fronds, they remain strong... they recuperate... they regenerate... You'll hear from your people soon, I am sure.
Chin Up...;-)
Krita
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Krita 17 years ago
Thanks, Pals. Yep... not long after I asked my question here, Raul at Chichen Itza said that funny straw roof on my Bungalow, which I was SURE would have perished in the storm, was still intact, and all was well in their back yard. I swear! Sensationalism, fear-inspiring news angles, overblown weather reports... We are reminded that commercialized news stations are nothing more than bastardized Public Relation specialists... (don't get pissy on me, I'm being humorously cynnical here!) ;-)
Soon, one day, I will come be an expat with the rest of you. I will be the loco gringo! Oh, and Casi... because we have little faith in the baggage handlers of the airlines of America, we (three of us) are coming for our 13 day stay with CARRY ON LUGGAGE ONLY--- we figure what doesn't fit we'll buy there... so yes, expect me to buy "small business/privately owned only" to promote the local economy.
Hasta Pronto!
Krita
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Working Gringos 17 years ago
Sally,
The B&B Los Arcos is fine. There was no damage to speak of anywhere in Merida.
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CasiYucateco 17 years ago
First hand report from a good friend as far south as Campeche (city): Only had wind and then not as bad as many storms. There were only a few periods of rain, again much lighter than you'd expect from a hurricane.
The pathway seems to be pretty much straight east to west, across the southern part -- least populated part.
So, for Krita or other vacationers soon-to-come - come on down! The roads from Merida to Cancun, Chichen Itza, Progreso, Dzibilchaltun, Campeche (great Spanish fortress/walled city too often overlooked), Uxmal, etc, should be fine.
Although this was a huge hurricane, it weakened quite quickly on striking land. Yes, it was a Category 5, but only just recently and moved west too quickly to build strength.
The hard-hit areas of Mahajual, Xcalak, Chetumal? Still waiting for reports from those areas.
Coming to the Yucatan to vacation now will help the economy, which helps everyone. And, there's nothing in the "normal" tourist areas that has received damage at all. The ruins, after all, have made it through a thousand or more years worth of hurricanes. (And, don't forget Campeche, right, Gato?) ;-)
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manuelito 17 years ago
working gringos are cool,i like their articles of any kind,do not go back to california unless you really have to,or after we meet one day,:D,i've been reading the news in a lot of internet news sites,they say a lot of things and i do believe that they exagerate a little bit sometimes,i've been in a few of those agresive hurricanes it's awesome i mean after the storm, there is always calm and what to do after a hurricane??? well this is good news... go shrimp fishing,there is tons and tons of shrimp now on the shores and under the little bridges well now you know what to do after a hurricane,oh,unless there is some damage to fix at your place of course, otherwise hit the road to progreso.i remember the hurricane gilberto back on the '88 or somewhere there it was horrible i got some pictures of me standing next to the huge ship that landed in the shores of chelem,it was huge and tall,awesome, that's all i remember.thanks working gringos,hey how come you guys don't change your banner to....grintecos????? sounds bad uh??? it does i know.i am out bye.
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Sally 17 years ago
Anyone know if the b&b Los Arcos in Merida had damage?
Thanks so much.
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Steve 17 years ago
Funny thing this... I watched BBC World News this morning live from Cancun and thought that there seemed to be little (relatively speaking) happening despite the reporter's best efforts at appearing windswept - and wondered myself why the guy wasn't a little further south! I think we all know. Glad to hear most things appear OK now. And continue that healthy combo of compassion and humorous cynicism.
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Andrea 17 years ago
I think I speak for all of us who have spent time with and personally know the Working Gringos when I say you have totally misinterpreted the comments about the hurricane situation because I know first hand and have witnessed for myself the kindness and compassion they have for humans and other creatures alike. Would a person with no compassion give the Pemex worker money to go in and buy the poor emaciated street dogs a couple of hot dogs? I think not. Please be careful when flinging harsh judgement at people you don't personally know.
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Working Gringos 17 years ago
We've just returned from a driving tour around Merida and up to Progreso and the Gulf Coast. There was very little rain this morning and no flooding anywhere. We saw only a couple downed trees and signs from occasional strong winds up to about 40 MPH. Almost everything except Oxxo, 7-Eleven, McDonalds, Pemex and some grocery stores are closed, but will re-open tomorrow. The police, national guard and CFE were out in force, but there was very little for them to do. We did not lose any basic services. More details to come...
Tom, there was no tidal surge at the Gulf and the waves were only a couple of feet high. We saw children swimming in the water and couples strolling along the beach, despite the strong winds.
Krita, you should have no trouble with your lodging in Merida or Chichen Itza, once you arrive. Our main concern is for the areas of Mahajual and Xcalak on the southern Caribbean coast, where we've heard there has been quite a bit of destruction of these recently developed towns. Of course, the humble Maya villages just inland and along the storm's path can now use all the assistance they can get, so we think a "village restoration vacation" is a great idea.
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