Disaster Relief Begins in US after Hurricane Jimena beats Baja
California Sur
By Patricia Rains
MexiData.info note: On Monday, September 7, the Mexican government
published a notice in the Official Daily of the Federation declaring the
municipalities of Los Cabos, La Paz, Comondú, Loreto and Mulegé,
in Baja California Sur, emergency areas due to the damages caused by
hurricane Jimena.
In the wake of Hurricane Jimena, an estimated 35,000 people in central
Baja California, Mexico, are homeless and stranded without food, water
or power. Rescue efforts and communications are hampered by destroyed
airports, roads, bridges, power lines and cell phone towers.
Hurricane Jimena, a Category 3 storm, made landfall September 2 at
Magdalena Bay on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur. It skirted
northward and crossed the peninsula toward Mulege and Santa Rosalia,
where it hovered for days over the west central Sea of Cortez. Central
Baja California suffered massive flash floods and mudslides, and Highway
1 is severed in many places. Flooding occurred as far east as Guaymas,
Sonora. Unusual for a cyclonic storm, the remnants of Jimena moved south
down the Sea of Cortez before petering out.
Without airports and roads, damage assessment couldn't begin until
Sunday, September 6, when the Ciudad Constitución runway was
repaired. Baja California Sur governor Narcisco Agundez Montaño and
officials of the Baja California Civil Protection agency and Mexico Red
Cross (Cruz Roja) inspected some of the devastated areas and flew over
others. Baja California Sur was declared a natural disaster and funds
were released to speed recovery. Lacking electricity, shelters in
central Baja California Sur were already overwhelmed with displaced
families and had run out of water, food and basic medical supplies.
Severe damage occurred at Isla Magdalena, Santa Maria Bay, Puerto Lopez
Mateos, Puerto San Carlos, Punta Abreojos, San Ignacio Lagoon, Ciudad
Constitución, Villa Insurgentes, Comondu, Loreto airport, Mulege,
Santa Rosalia and San Ignacio, according to the Baja California Civil
Protection agency. Highway 1 is severed in many places, and large
bridges are washed out. The US State Department warned tourists not to
attempt to drive down Baja California.
Relief efforts are just getting underway. (See list below of most
requested items and relief aid contacts.) One death is confirmed in
Mulege, but more are expected to be reported as relief workers reach
isolated areas by air and sea later this week.
The following reports were compiled from emails, ham radio messages,
YouTube video, websites, web blogs, and Spanish-speaking TV newscasts.
After flying over Puerto Lopez Mateos, members of the Baja Bush Pilots,
a private organization, reported that half the cannery buildings were
destroyed, all wood homes were flattened, and a quarter of the
population is homeless. Earlier reports said 750 homes were lost in that
town, and that the desalination plant at the cannery was destroyed, so
the municipality had no water. Earlier reports said the two isolated
fishing villages on the barrier island of Isla Magdalena no longer
existed.
A Telemundo news team traveling with the Baja California governor
reported that the last message from Puerto San Carlos on Magdalena Bay
came from a police officer just prior to the hurricane's landfall,
saying the town of San Carlos could not be evacuated because the isthmus
roadway had been breached by flood waters.
Following Jimena's path, Punta Abreojos village and Laguna San
Ignacio (whale park) took a direct hit by Jimena's eye wall as a
Category 2 hurricane. Shari Bondi in the Pacific coast fishing village
of Bahia Asuncion reported that her village fared well but that Abreojos
village and San Ignacio Lagoon were badly damaged.
Up on Baja California's central mesa, in the large agricultural
towns of Ciudad Constitución and Villa Insurgentes, 70% to 90% of the
buildings (homes, businesses) were reported as destroyed or not
habitable. The mayor's office in Constitución requested medical
supplies, food and water.
The airport at Constitución has been repaired and opened on Monday,
September 7, so emergency supplies are being air lifted there,
coordinated by the Baja California Civil Protection agency, the Baja
Bush Pilots, and the Flying Samaritans. Emergency supplies will be
distributed to outlying villages as roads are repaired.
Puerto Escondido reported no injuries, all the marina moorings held, a
few API moorings dragged. A few attended boats chafed through their own
mooring lines or dragged anchor but were assisted by the marina staff
and fellow yatistas. A few unattended boats did drag ashore, mostly into
mangroves. Loreto airport was damaged and closed, but officials said
power may be restored to Loreto on Saturday, September 12. The highway
south toward Constitución was washed out, many bridges gone, but
recent reports say it is passable to La Paz.
Mulege: a 75-year old man drowned when floodwaters filled his home.
Mulege residents are reporting worse damage than from Hurricane John in
2006. The highway bridge was 6 feet under raging torrents when the flash
flood crested, but that bridge is still standing. All Mulege homes along
the river were flooded, about half were destroyed. The fire station had
2 feet of water inside, and throughout the town many roofs are gone and
home walls collapsed. All Mulege grocery stores were flooded, and locals
are asking for emergency food & water. Mulege shelters are overwhelmed
by homeless Jimena victims, so people are sleeping in cars.
All homes on Punta Chivato were flooded and damaged, some destroyed. A
pilot living at Punta Chivato reported that one unpaved airstrip has
been repaired for emergency landings.
Santa Rosalia's downtown area was devastated by flash floods (water,
mud and debris) that scoured the central canyon, washing cars and
drowned livestock out to sea. The older Marina Santa Rosalia was
destroyed except for two slips. The Singlar marina reported to be OK, no
boats or docks sunk. Yatistas said it rained heavily for 48 hours
straight. One person is reported missing from a fishing village north of
Santa Rosalia, according to the Baja California Civil Protection agency.
AIRLIFT ITEMS FOR SHELTERS & HOMELESS
Basic first aid and OTC medical supplies, cooking pans & utensils, camp
tents, plastic tarps, rope, flashlights & lanterns with batteries, cloth
shoes, clothing, light bedding. After the roads open, heavier items will
be sought for donation and carried by truck.
CONTACTS: Civil Protection Agency of Baja California Sur: contact
Professor Jose Gajon de la Toba, 011-52-030-546-100, or email him at
procivilbcs@live.com.mx <mailto:procivilbcs@live.com.mx>
Mexico Red Cross (Cruz Roja) in Mexico City: head of the Cruz Roja
National Relief Coordinator is Isaac Oxenhaut: 55-362-7089, email
desastre@cruzrojo.org.mx <mailto:desastre@cruzrojo.org.mx> However, as
we go to press, the Cruz Roja website has not been updated since the day
before Hurricane Jimena struck.
Baja Bush Pilots: In southern California and the southwest US, Baja Bush
Pilots has coordinated with Cruz Roja and the Baja California Civil
Protection agency, and is now flying down emergency medical supplies. To
help with their airlift efforts, email Jimena disaster relief
coordinator Jack@BajaBushPilots.com <mailto:Jack@BajaBushPilots.com>
or visit www.BajaBushPilots.com <http://www.bajabushpilots.com/> .
——————————shari - 9-9-2009 at 07:07 AM
why do they do that??? I NEVER even mentioned Abreojos!!! but did report heavy flooding in Mulege and San Ignacio...weird.
While it is perhaps beneficial to get donations, this article is bound to scare off tourists who may have planned a visit to Baja when it says NOT to
attempt to drive to baja california...geez...northern baja and down to the Vizcaino valley is totally fine.David K - 9-9-2009 at 07:26 AM
Yah... I got a u2u from a new Nomad who asked me how the highway between Tecate and Ensenada was, following the hurricane...DENNIS - 9-9-2009 at 07:28 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by shari
why do they do that???
Typical misinformed press. Deadlines trump facts.wilderone - 9-9-2009 at 09:09 AM
Donations:
Baja Bush Pilots
149 W. Boston St.
Chandler AZ 85225Siri - 9-9-2009 at 09:26 AM
Thanks for adding BBP address for $ donations. Here's a little more information re: $ donations to the BBP project:
Please use the mailing address wilderone posted for donations by CHECK (payable to "Baja Bush Pilots" with memo "Hurricane Jimena). If you are
mailing a donation by check, particularly in a large denomination, please U2U or email me (findsiri@yahoo.com) with the amount--I will keep tabs of
the "donations in the mail" and keep BBP posted of the tally for their budgeting purposes while waiting on snail mail.
Although BBP's website is not set-up for online donations, they are accepting CREDIT CARD donations BY TELEPHONE. Jack and Claudia have asked that I
serve as the contact person for those donations (to reduce the flow of calls into their office, which is overwhelmed).
A full update will come from BBP this afternoon, including the financial donation information and a description of how the funds will be allocated. I
have started a new thread called "Baja Bush Pilots-Hurricane Jimena Airlift Project", and will post the udpate there, so please check back later
today.
PS: All financial donors will receive an acknowledgement letter, which can be used for tax purposes.
