We had quite an interesting experience in the last 7 days. Last Sunday (Sept 3), at around 3am, Mimi woke me up because she heard the sound of water
flowing. We got up, turned on the light and saw water flowing into our bedroom thru the crack underneath the door. I opened the bedroom door into
the kitchen and found out that the kitchen was under 2ft of water. I shut the bedroom door real quick and started to move stuffs off the ground and
put them onto the table, then I heard a loud cracking noise...I opened the bedroom door again and saw the kitchen door was broken in half, water
flooding in really hard...in about 3 minutes the water already flood the whole house up to our waist. Mimi was sitting on the bed which was floating
around in the bedroom, the water rising real quick. We figured we had to leave the house ASAP...so we grapped our purse with the passport and wallet,
tread thru the water, climb over the window to the outside headed to higher ground in pitch black. We passed by our car and was thinking of driving
it, but the water was already up to our chest, the car was already under water. On our way out, we didn't see anybody around. We thought either
everybody has left...leaving us behind...Or everybody was dead...either way it wasn't good. I was thinking of going to my friend's house and look for
him but the current was too strong and it was too dark to see my way around (electricity has been knocked out). Since I wasn't familiar with the
area, I would've gotten lost before I could find him...So I decided to take Mimi to safe place first and try to find my friend later. As we walked
out to the exit of the Oasis..up the hill...we heard people talking and found out that our friends and a whole bunch of people were on a roof near the
exit. We helped them climb over a fence to the outside of the Oasis and all of us walked thru the water up to the highway. It was nervousing walking
in the rain and in the dark, not knowing what ahead of us...Well...at the end we all survived and safe. Mimi and I was shoe-less...I was also
shirtless...and my friend was completely naked. It was a scary but exciting experience. On Saturday night before the flood...we checked the weather
forecast and tracked the hurricane...but we was so sure that it wouldn't hit us. The flood wasn't from the hurricane or the hurricane tidal surge,
but from the rain on the mountain that came down and overflowed the river, created flash flood. Nobody in the area would expect this to happen. My
friend told me that four years ago there was a hurricane in Mulege and his houses in the Oasis got flooded with 9 inches of water. He thought this
time if it flood again, it would only be probably a foot or two....but it turned out to be way more...about 20-30ft of water. All his houses were
under water...all the appliances, furnitures, and everything else in the house were ruined....luckily all his houses are still standing. For a whole
week after the flood, we stayed and helped our friend cleaning up his houses. After all the water had drained out...it left about 6 inches of mud on
the ground...mud was everywhere...on the wall...on the table..in the fridge... everywhere. We had no electricity for the first three days...and still
have no running water at the time we left (we do have a pila of water though). Life was very hard... and the scene of the Oasis was very depressing.
Oh well now I'm more aware of flash flood when it rains and not just wind or tidal surge. With all being said and done, we are fine and had a little
adventure in Mulege. For pictures of the flood.... here is the link (just copy and pace)
[Edited on 9-14-2006 by Mulege]Bruce R Leech - 9-12-2006 at 07:41 PM
Welcome to the Baja Nomad Forum, excellent story that you will remember forever. glad every one survived
God Bless
[Edited on 9-13-2006 by Bruce R Leech]Phil S - 9-13-2006 at 08:12 AM
Thanks for posting your pic's. Different from the prior pic postings by others. Glad you were able to survive. Must have been most terrifying
experience. I can't relate to anything in my life that would hold a candle to the experiences of those waking up to a fast rising river. Especially
the ones who rolled out of bed to find water two feet deep & rising rapidly. Three friends from Roseburg Oregon alone having to deal with this
trama. Ralph Fray, Marlin Larson & John & Donna Atkinson. I haven't heard how the B&B just upstream from Serenidad survived.
b & b
mulege marv - 9-13-2006 at 09:01 AM
no damage to the B & B except to the wall along the road, it collapsed. the homes there took on very little water due to the width of the river at
that point.
Bob H - 9-13-2006 at 11:14 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Mulege
The flood wasn't from the hurricane or the hurricane tidal surge, but from the rain on the mountain that came down and overflowed the river, broke
the dam..which created flash flood.
What a STORY! Tell us more about the dam that broke. I never knew there as a dam. Any photos of it?
Bob HMulege - 9-13-2006 at 11:38 AM
I was just suspecting about the dam...it may just be an overflowedcapt. mike - 9-13-2006 at 12:12 PM
never knew about a dam either, have flown the valley dozens of times coming back from laguna, never saw one.
maybe time to have the mex corps of engineers build a diversion flood control dam...........??Hook - 9-14-2006 at 12:51 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by capt. mike
never knew about a dam either, have flown the valley dozens of times coming back from laguna, never saw one.
maybe time to have the mex corps of engineers build a diversion flood control dam...........??
What's the arroyo like up above Mulege, Mike? Does it have the occasional fan palm along it's route for a ways? Would it make good hiking?
