BajaNomad - Mulege After Paul?

Mulege After Paul?

Estrella - 10-17-2012 at 10:22 PM

I know that communications are sketchy coming out of Mulege at this time but could we have a thread that will address the conditions there? We know what difficulties Mulege has faced after H. John and H. Jimena and know that there has been flooding again. We appreciate what info has been shared. Would like to know how those in the vallee, town and along south and north sides of the Rio have fared? The people of Mulege are in out thoughts and prayers.

LaRibereña - 10-18-2012 at 08:39 AM

Look under 'Baja News'

EngineerMike - 10-18-2012 at 10:51 AM

I'm getting various random reports by email, text & phone, and posting to the Baja News thread on Paul, now up to several pages. That thread covers all of Baja as affected by Paul.

This flood event is not as devastating as Jimena, but is very comparable to H.John wherein the flood water was heavily laden w/thick sticky mud, and at epic levels. Apparently the time factor & rains coming from way up near the west/east divide of the peninsula allowed heavily erosive forces to build up & carry the mud.

Just to recap:
High water at the highway bridge was reported several feet (5-6) under the bridge structure, which is ~25' high in the channel at this very narrow gorge.
Jorge Yee's park & water plant just below the bridge must have been hammered, hope he got all his equipment out.
Proceeding west to east from bridge: Orchard- probably 10-12 feet, flowing fast.
Oasis Park 10-4 or 5 feet depending, farther east less water, homes w/high floors less also.
Jungle Jim's- 5-3 feet. Maribel's park less but mud will accumulate in these slower flow areas easily.
Some washouts on river roads, both sides of river that will include buried water main.
Upstream- no specific reports, but the high school had to be hit hard again up to about roof level of the buildings, and homes still in the flood zone will have been wiped out. Again.
Many displaced Mexicans, estimated ~300. Gringo's staying in local motels above the water line (Hotel Mulege, presumably Serenidad and some others).
Saul's store has generator so cold goods will be OK. Pinguino store is above flood, not sure if they have gen. Others stores & restaurants without electricity will be a mess and fresh food will be scarce till roads are open (Equipales & Mely's have gen's). Military is reported in the area tho specifics are not known (Baja was prepared for this to hit more populated southerly areas of La Paz & Los Cabos which it didn't, so resources like Military First Aid stations & electrical co. & phone workers are in place to respond; timing for services restored will vary).

Water service is out. Rotary International in cooperation w/Mulege Rotary & city services recently upgraded the water system capacity in town (new pila up on the hill north of town, new 100hp pump & well designed for flood). All that takes electricity, and there will have been many broken lines that will sap pressure for days or couple weeks when service is restored. Loma Azul & south side of river will take several days to restore, couple of weeks to repair all leaks. Everyone will be living on bottled water for some time. If you are coming from out of town, bring a 5gal jug to get started, or 2.

Donations will be accepted by the fire dept in town and by the churches for distribution. Mulege Rotary is not in session yet for that conduit. Hungry families can use food stuffs. Last couple of floods we gave Saul Davis money to assemble food packages; he & his kids know who is in need and you can trust him w/that work. If you bring food (or whatever), the above conduits will work. Sadly, this process is not new, and the methods are well understood.
But we persevere.

mulegejim - 10-18-2012 at 11:08 AM

Mike, it appears that the power is on in town and power is restored in most areas south of Mulege at least to the Pemex station. Water not restored yet.

[Edited on 10-18-2012 by mulegejim]

BajaBlanca - 10-18-2012 at 11:46 AM

very comprehensive report - thanks !

mulegemichael - 10-18-2012 at 02:48 PM

i just drove out of there yesterday afternoon after witnessing the disaster...if the water in my casa is any indication, it was just over 8 feet deep inside my house and adjacent buildings....the water velocity was much much higher than previous storms and it blew down anything in it's path..anything and everything...it's good to hear electricity is back on but i think in the oasis park it will take much longer as power poles were strewn about like matchsticks just upriver of my place..really sad to once again see all these folks wandering about with no place to go/live...at least some of us can go north...so, so sad.

vgabndo - 10-18-2012 at 02:53 PM

Sad indeed. I'm sorry for your loss MMike.

Mulegena - 10-18-2012 at 03:05 PM

The folks of Mulege, all the people who live here-- native-born, expat and winter people, are resilient.

Everyone is cleaning up.

Much of town has electricity. Water and electrics should be available to the outlying colonias this week.

Hard hit was the CECYT college preparatory school which received 2 meters of water. School is closed indefinately! This is a sad state of affairs for the young people of town who wish to attend college and achieve the goals that only the path of education can bring to one's life. There has been no other place made available in which to move the school.

The governor did a fly-over yesterday, touched down and did a hastily prepared townhall meeting. Not much was gained immediately, but I trust that it is the long-term goals and improvements that are being made which will make a difference in this town.

I'm with computer and communication only today because of the power loss. Haven't yet read other threads concerning the hurricane. I hope the rest of the peninsula was spared much loss and suffering. Hugs to all.

Thank you all for your concern and generous assistance and goodwill.
Mulegena

David K - 10-18-2012 at 03:05 PM

From once every 50 years to every 2-3 years for these super flash floods... ? The padres wrote about them and almost moved the mission from Mulege north to Magdalena after a 1770 flash flood!

mulegejim - 10-18-2012 at 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
i just drove out of there yesterday afternoon after witnessing the disaster...if the water in my casa is any indication, it was just over 8 feet deep inside my house and adjacent buildings....the water velocity was much much higher than previous storms and it blew down anything in it's path..anything and everything...it's good to hear electricity is back on but i think in the oasis park it will take much longer as power poles were strewn about like matchsticks just upriver of my place..really sad to once again see all these folks wandering about with no place to go/live...at least some of us can go north...so, so sad.

Mike, I believe power is back on at the Oasis Park as it is on at the park at Bart's place. Just left there and folks are cleaning up and doing their best to cope. Bart's is open for c-cktails and beer - no food as yet. Jim

mulegemichael - 10-18-2012 at 05:52 PM

wow!!...fabulous!!...hard to believe from what i saw...thanks for the update jimbo...so the tourney is on??...just kidding...

Estrella - 10-18-2012 at 05:52 PM

Thank you for the continuing updates! Received brief email from a friend in Don Chanos and the electricity was on there now. Said the Malecon is not what it was but most of it is still there. Wonderful to have communications and electricity up so soon.

mulegejim - 10-18-2012 at 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
wow!!...fabulous!!...hard to believe from what i saw...thanks for the update jimbo...so the tourney is on??...just kidding...

Gene and I met at the Jungle and decided we both won and would split the proceeds - only problem was no proceeds so had a c-cktail and told fish tales instead. Jim

ecomujeres - 10-18-2012 at 08:13 PM

Report yesterday from Martin Miranda Yee, one of the teachers at CECyT, was that the Governor had just approved the move to the new campus out in Nuevo Mulege. He was trying to get people together today to help with the move. He had photos on his Facebook page showing volunteers hard at work cleaning as best they could. Looked like about 5, maybe 6 feet of water. Not so much mud.

Estrella - 10-18-2012 at 08:16 PM

Will the people who are displaced be able to live in the homes in Nuevo Mulege?

dtbushpilot - 10-18-2012 at 08:49 PM

Quote:

So sorry to hear about your mess mike, let me know if we can do anything to help, we're only 1 day away....dt & jt...

Bob H - 10-18-2012 at 11:53 PM

This is just so sad ... We have some really good friends who have a place on the river near the casitas who lost everything once already! Prayers go out to everyone there!

bajario - 10-19-2012 at 03:06 AM

So sorry for everyone's loss.

I'm guessing what ever grading was going on near the river mouth a few weeks back shown on here has been washed away?

willyAirstream - 10-19-2012 at 08:51 AM

Jungle got 76 inches of water, 58 in my casa. Power is on, but 3 more days, or so to repair water pipes.
5 inches of mud everywhwere, but everyone is helping each other and making headway.
No internet on river road, but is on, in town. Very little damage in town. Water came up to tel cell shop.
More later.

Cypress - 10-19-2012 at 10:56 AM

Grew up on the MS Gulf Coast. Have experienced more hurricanes than I can remember. A near miss will disrupt your life. Mulege is beginning to look like ground zero for Baja storms. They need to build back higher and stronger. Don't just clean up the mess and hope it won't happen again. It will happen again.

micah202 - 10-19-2012 at 10:57 AM

...I guess that which is Mulege's beauty is also it's bain!
.....that year round creek,,with a beautiful valley filled with datepalms,,
,,,becomes one big Arroyo

.....such a lovely town,,,sad to see them having to go through this again.

...EngineerMike.....let me know where I can sent a money-order (or paypal?) donation towards SaulDavis,,
,,,''food in the right hands'' sounds like a good idea.

BajaNews - 10-19-2012 at 11:54 AM

[Edited on 10-19-2012 by BajaNews]

BajaNews - 10-19-2012 at 11:56 AM

[Edited on 10-19-2012 by BajaNews]

BajaNews - 10-19-2012 at 11:58 AM

[Edited on 10-19-2012 by BajaNews]

BajaNews - 10-19-2012 at 12:03 PM

Cypress - 10-19-2012 at 12:49 PM

Somebody needs to get their poop together before the next storm hits.

motoged - 10-19-2012 at 01:57 PM

Cypress,
What would that look like? Relocation, water diversion, or what? Mulege is a special place for so many...it is disheartening to see such frequent damage and loss....especially for the local long-term residents. While serious for the gringos, it is likely more tragic for those that have less wealth and fewer options.

Cypress - 10-19-2012 at 03:51 PM

Relocation from the river bottom would work. Water diversion? Where would you divert it? Elevate all structures along the Rio at least 15' above sea level, timber, metal, or concrete pilings would work. Otherwise, this flooding will continue to wreck everything along the river whenever a storm blows through.

J.P. - 10-19-2012 at 04:42 PM

There Was talk after previous flooding of not allowing anyone to rebuild in the flood plain. What became of that.
Looks like it would be a good area for a nice Park and Camping Area. :?:

Estrella - 10-19-2012 at 05:32 PM

Thank you for the pictures-gives a real sense of things-pictures do speak a thousand words.

mulegemichael - 10-19-2012 at 05:36 PM

actually, the pics don't do it justice...until you've waded in ankle deep stinking sewer mud in your living room you don't get a real sense for it.

ecomujeres - 10-19-2012 at 05:59 PM

Where are those last four photos (highway and then river shot) taken? I see that the guy with the cowboy hat and khaki shirt is wearing a Procaguama (San Carlos turtle group) T shirt but I can't recognize him only from the back!

Pescador - 10-19-2012 at 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ecomujeres
Where are those last four photos (highway and then river shot) taken? I see that the guy with the cowboy hat and khaki shirt is wearing a Procaguama (San Carlos turtle group) T shirt but I can't recognize him only from the back!

I have only driven the road from Mulege to the south end of Concepcion bay a few hundred times and I am sure that is the valley shown, but on the other thread I was informed they were between Mulege and Santa Rosalia, but as I drove that stretch today, nothing matched. It is obvious that Concepcion shows in number four. .

Mulege got hit hard, but from San Bruno north, I found very little damage today between Mulege and Santa Rosalia. The rain, for the most part, landed up in the mountains and the arroyo which flows into the estuary by Punta Chivato and the Arroyo which leads to Rio Mulege carried massive amounts of water, but from Punta Chivato to Santa Rosalia, there was not much rain to speak of. My house in San Bruno showed no indication that we had much more than a little wind and some rain, but Mulege got hit hard in the river section.

no rebuild on river shore !!

captkw - 10-19-2012 at 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by J.P.
There Was talk after previous flooding of not allowing anyone to rebuild in the flood plain. What became of that.
Looks like it would be a good area for a nice Park and Camping Area. :?:

... HOLA,,thats what I heard when I came through a few weeks after JOHN hit!! I remember in the later 80"s there were soo many nice houses and a few (nice) trailers on the sur side of the river!! since then I seen the usally river wipe outs !! DONT BUILD IN A FLOOD ZONE !! this has been going on all my life there !! yes, have had many a bbq and partys along the mellow river,,caught blk snook and seen sea cucumbers in the lwr reaches...but to build there.....NO !! K&T :cool:

hope all Good and better days ahead !! the "season" may not be over !!!!

ever wonder why the bridge is so high there?

captkw - 10-19-2012 at 07:18 PM

and that bridge has been there awhile ! any remember what year it was built ??

micah202 - 10-19-2012 at 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pescador

..........Mulege got hit hard, but from San Bruno north, I found very little damage today between Mulege and Santa Rosalia. The rain, for the most part, landed up in the mountains and the arroyo which flows into the estuary by Punta Chivato and the Arroyo which leads to Rio Mulege carried massive amounts of water, but from Punta Chivato to Santa Rosalia, there was not much rain to speak of. My house in San Bruno showed no indication that we had much more than a little wind and some rain, but Mulege got hit hard in the river section.

...did Mulege get much active wind/rain,,or was it mostly runoff from inland??

mulegejim - 10-19-2012 at 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by micah202

Quote:

...did Mulege get much active wind/rain,,or was it mostly runoff from inland??

Both.

gnukid - 10-19-2012 at 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNews

perhaps the super moderator BajaNews might want to learn how to post images with bbcode tags??? Try it it's easy. Otherwise no one can read the post.

David K - 10-20-2012 at 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw
and that bridge has been there awhile ! any remember what year it was built ??

The highway was paved north to Santa Rosalia by 1972, and already started to head for San Ignacio in mid '72. So I would guess the bridge was built around then (late '71)?

There was no tall bridge on my first trip to the tip in '66. Just a low one, then along the river to the Serenidad and on south to Comondu and La Paz!

Bob H - 10-20-2012 at 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw
and that bridge has been there awhile ! any remember what year it was built ??

Wow, the memories you must have before paving .... And bridges.

David K - 10-20-2012 at 01:23 AM

It's a weird thing... Baja on the brain... my whole life!?! :rolleyes:

chippy - 10-20-2012 at 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw
and that bridge has been there awhile ! any remember what year it was built ??

The south to north engineers must have done it different than the north to south,

I´m sure you remember the bridges went were not completed until after the road was paved north to south.

Negotiating those river beds was always a challenge in my "65" Valiant wagon.

micah202 - 10-20-2012 at 08:08 AM

here's the water going through Loreto,,I beleive where the sunday market is...............I can just imagine the intensity under Mulege's bridge!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z...

willyAirstream - 10-20-2012 at 08:31 AM

Squeeeeegeeees have arrived at Robertos Hardware!!!

tiotomasbcs - 10-20-2012 at 02:19 PM

Hey, Richard. Glad to see you are posting. Did your place on the river flood badly? How about that ol Hound dog?? I spent the nite at Cuesta the week before and saw Pepe and Sandra. Hope they arent too stressed. Squeeges and a fire hose! Good luck with cleanup and when you can any fotos would be appreciated! Suerte. Tomas

Bielefeld - 10-20-2012 at 02:57 PM

We are on our way to Conception Bay and would like to know, just how bad the mosquito situation is in town and out at the bay.
Thanks.

Mulegena - 10-20-2012 at 04:12 PM

Mosquitos in Mulege...

is the least of the town's concern right now.
Wear some Skin So Soft.

edited to say, sorry for a bit of snipiness. Everybody is dog tired and slightly depressed today.

To your question: There is some danger of Dengue as one case has been treated in southern Baja this summer. There is an issue with mosquitos in town in areas with wetness. The municipalities in the whole state have an active spraying program in place and areas of debris and standing water are treated with calcium carbonate in order to dry up asap.

[Edited on 10-20-2012 by Mulegena]

tiotomasbcs - 10-20-2012 at 05:25 PM

Mosquitos are invading town qnd swarms of Beasts are invadeing Mulege. !?? What are you proposing? Your small consideration! Locals are sleeping outside and need mosquito netting aqnd Help. Sorry your put out? How about contributions thru Rotary?! Let's all help. Tio

DENNIS - 10-20-2012 at 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mulegena
There is an issue with mosquitos in town in areas with wetness.

It's difficult to imagine that those living in these vulnerable areas would be caught unprepared for anything. It's not like it's the first time for any of these hazards that come with wind and floods.

mulegemichael - 10-20-2012 at 05:38 PM

problem here dennis, is that a lot of folks living in these vulnerable areas don't have the means to deal with some things...like repellant, netting, food, shelter, etc...it all takes money and there just isn't a lot of that around right now...so yeah, they all do what they can but there are limits.

DENNIS - 10-20-2012 at 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
problem here dennis, is that a lot of folks living in these vulnerable areas don't have the means to deal with some things...like repellant, netting, food, shelter, etc...it all takes money and there just isn't a lot of that around right now...so yeah, they all do what they can but there are limits.

Thanks, Mike. I see what you mean.

J.P. - 10-20-2012 at 05:53 PM

When we were there in April while exploring around we noticed this new development south of town. Looked like Two nerw Unused Schools and At least 100 new unocupied houses. Whats going on with that? It looks like it would be a ready made fix. and get people out of the flood plain.

[Edited on 10-21-2012 by J.P.]

micah202 - 10-20-2012 at 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tiotomasbcs
Mosquitos are invading town qnd swarms of Beasts are invadeing Mulege. !?? What are you proposing? Your small consideration! Locals are sleeping outside and need mosquito netting aqnd Help. Sorry your put out? How about contributions thru Rotary?! Let's all help. Tio

....EngineerMike mentioned that the rotary isn't active right now,,,but he can receive paypal,,make sure funds go to the right place...

from Mike......''I will see that Saul gets it, send paypal to mike<AT>fleming.cc
if you mark it "Gift,flood releif,Saul Fleming" it will come 100 cents on the dollar rather than commission deducted. Last flood he & his family made up food packets for us to distribute to the most desperate families & seniors. Many tears were shed in thanks. Guess its going to be needed again. When I have your money I'll call Saul & get his end handled. Guess I've got to get down there soon to manage my reclamation effort, so I can get the cash to him.''
Mike

[Edited on 10-21-2012 by micah202]

EngineerMike - 10-20-2012 at 07:10 PM

Micah-
On the PayPal page where you send money, below the amount you enter you will see PERSONAL. Click that & make sure GIFT is selected. That eliminates the commission.
Thanks for thinking of Mulege.

Anybody else who wants to donate for food for displaced families, feel free to also donate & I'll see Saul gets food packets out right away.
EngineerMike, papal address: mike at fleming dot cc (not dot com, just cc like in Carbon Copy for those who remember such anachronisms).

Is saul the yellow store on the road ??

captkw - 10-20-2012 at 07:24 PM

HOLA,,I,M TRYING FIND MY PAY PAL PASSWORD AND MY HOTMAIL ACCOUNT WAS JACKED IN APRIL !! AND GETTING peeED OFF WHICH TAKES A LOT FOR THIS GUY !! ANYWAY WHO IS SAUL ?? ooop's ,,caps.......now ..here is good example of not to sweat the little things in life !! helping folks out in bad times is where everbody on this chunck of spinnin rock should/can do more of !!.... back to trying to get my hotmail from araibec into english..harder than you would assume !! K&T :cool:

mulegejim - 10-20-2012 at 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw
HOLA,,I,M TRYING FIND MY PAY PAL PASSWORD AND MY HOTMAIL ACCOUNT WAS JACKED IN APRIL !! AND GETTING peeED OFF WHICH TAKES A LOT FOR THIS GUY !! ANYWAY WHO IS SAUL ?? ooop's ,,caps.......now ..here is good example of not to sweat the little things in life !! helping folks out in bad times is where everbody on this chunck of spinnin rock should/can do more of !!.... back to trying to get my hotmail from araibec into english..harder than you would assume !! K&T :cool:

No, Saul Davis is not the owner of "the green market on the highway" he is the owner of the market at the far end of town and one of the most stand up guys you can find anywhere. JMHO. Jim

[Edited on 10-21-2012 by mulegejim]

thanks for reply m.JIM

captkw - 10-20-2012 at 07:44 PM

Hola, when coming south right before the bridge and on the right hand side is a yellow store that I used to get sonora beef steaks from and I'd swear in court the guys name is saul and a stand up guy ,,like you say !! I've been stopping there for along,long,long time and he has always been"buena henta" good folk..K&T

[Edited on 10-21-2012 by captkw]

rts551 - 10-20-2012 at 08:02 PM

Quote:

Send me your PAYPAL password via u2u and I will figure it out for u.

Pescador - 10-21-2012 at 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by J.P.
When we were there in April while exploring around we noticed this new development south of town. Looked like Two nerw Unused Schools and At least 100 new unocupied houses. Whats going on with that? It looks like it would be a ready made fix. and get people out of the flood plain.

[Edited on 10-21-2012 by J.P.]

That is about what the government thought when they built these little houses. They had a certain amount of money and built them as cheaply as possible. They have a small kitchen which will allow you to sit at the table, open the refrigerator, wash your hands, stir things on the stove. They have a bedroom (only 1) which will not allow anything larger than a double bed, a small bathroom with shower and stool. Since they were built with gov. contractors most of the workmanship is pretty shoddy and already you can see stucco falling off and leaky roofs, as well as windows that sort of open.

They have a whole bunch, in a small village in Mulege and a larger set of them just south of the Technolgy College in Santa Rosalia. The ones in Santa Rosalia are on a beautiful bluff looking out over the ocean but not one has a window facing the sea.

Both projects have had serious problems with electricity, plumbing, water supply and have been seriously rejected by the people who are eligible to move in. If you own another property that was hurt in a hurricane or flood, you can trade into one of the properties but you give title to your old property.

If these houses had been built by someone developing, they would have built them better, probably for about the same money, but would have done a lot to make them attractive and sellable (if not why build them).

I have friends who have used salvagable materials like plywood, opened up barrels, etc., etc., and they have a much better personality than these houses. In addition, most people live in a neighborhood and enjoy the company of their friends and family, but they are forced to move into a "compound" away from their friends and family and in most cases, away from work, market, church, and the things that make their life go around.

Mula - 10-21-2012 at 08:16 AM

Capt. The yellow store on the highway in Mulege's owner is Pauncho.

And re- the new housing south of Mulege: There is no shade. Far from downtown with no public transportation to and from.

The flood plain people don't want to give up their family lots and homes in Mulege to live in a displaced barrio.

There are some of these little houses built on the hill just off the Cadeje airstrip - with no shade and no water. Who wants to live there?

THANKS MULA

captkw - 10-21-2012 at 08:31 AM

I have not seen those "cracker boxs" and understand what your talking about...what a waste of money !! but,, I know the great rezealacly of the folks around there and hope all the very best in the aftermath of paul......K&T :cool:

J.P. - 10-21-2012 at 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mula
Capt. The yellow store on the highway in Mulege's owner is Pauncho.

And re- the new housing south of Mulege: There is no shade. Far from downtown with no public transportation to and from.

The flood plain people don't want to give up their family lots and homes in Mulege to live in a displaced barrio.

There are some of these little houses built on the hill just off the Cadeje airstrip - with no shade and no water. Who wants to live there?

I know a Mexican Fisherman that had a 2 roon concrete block house on the beach he raised 3 children there after realizing there would never be any electricity there he moved on a hillside in town and built a 2 room plywood house just like the old one on the beach .The only diffrence he was able to run a wire next door and power a refig and tv.

captain4tuna - 10-21-2012 at 11:12 AM

Does anyone know how to reach Jorge Yee? Thanks

EngineerMike - 10-21-2012 at 02:02 PM

Thanks to the two Nomads who donated $100 each. I got eh PayPal notice just now, & called Saul Davis to make up food packets right away with the $200.

For anybody else who wants: PayPal to mike at fleming dot cc (not dot com, just cc) and click Personal, Gift to avoid commission on the donation.
Thanks a million, Mike

EngineerMike - 10-21-2012 at 06:17 PM

I went out to run some errands and came back to another $350 in donations,
Pot is now up to $550 and Saul is assembling food packets for the needy to distribute tomorrow.

Thanks to all who have contributed from Cabo to Canada!!!!

EngineerMike - 10-22-2012 at 10:58 PM

Another $175 came in today. total is up to $725 and packets started going out today.
Thanks to all,
Mike

willyAirstream - 10-23-2012 at 09:02 AM

Capt tuna, i can relay a messge to jorge yee. U2u me.

Tiotoma, i moved must of my stuff and the airstream up hill, but thougt i would drive the willys out when water came, bad move, no time, willys drowned. 5ft inside my casa in 10 minutes!
Water up to my neck, dog in each hand assting my walk out, took 30 minutes.
Not good.
Thanks for the recent purchases at my online store guys,, it helps.

[Edited on 10-23-2012 by willyAirstream]

micah202 - 10-23-2012 at 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by EngineerMike
Micah-
On the PayPal page where you send money, below the amount you enter you will see PERSONAL. Click that & make sure GIFT is selected. That eliminates the commission.
Thanks for thinking of Mulege.

Anybody else who wants to donate for food for displaced families, feel free to also donate & I'll see Saul gets food packets out right away.
EngineerMike, papal address: mike at fleming dot cc (not dot com, just cc like in Carbon Copy for those who remember such anachronisms).

...hummm,,finally getting around to making a donation..... even with entering a 'gift' ,nasty paypal still takes $4.25 'fee' plus an excessive exchange from canadian of another 5%....not sure who's getting more benefit from this!
....It's great a few nomads have chipped in! :bounce:

EngineerMike - 10-23-2012 at 04:17 PM

Another $1,000 came in this morning while I was out doing chores.
Guess I should do more chores, what do you think? We're up to $1,725.

Thanks to all for helping Mulege make it thru this difficult time. There are always a few desperate folks, especially in rural towns in Mexico. There are also generous people around to lend a caring hand. Go Nomads!!
Mike

EngineerMike - 10-24-2012 at 01:23 PM

$1,875 as I check in at lunch.
Thanks a Million on behalf of Mulege, Go Nomads!!

Cypress - 10-24-2012 at 02:24 PM

Mulege after Paul? Mulege after John? Mulege after-------? :?:

You'd think by now that Mulege would be bomb proof, but you'd be wrong. :no:

[Edited on 10/24/2012 by Cypress]

[Edited on 10/25/2012 by Cypress]

EngineerMike - 10-25-2012 at 08:15 AM

This just in this morning on Cypress' point from folks at Burro Beach on Concepcion Bay:

"Lots of families who were flooded are moving to the new houses (south of town across from the big Pemex) & the Internado and the HS & Primaria are now in operation out there, too. I think 1 Primaria is going to stay in Mulege.

Leobardo and Silvia (managers of the Internado that was west up Icehouse road) have been working non stop all week moving things to the new Internado. We've stopped by twice and they are 2 very tired people. Because there was advance notice about Paul, Leobardo managed to get a lot of things to dry ground, but there was still some loss and lots of mud clean up. To the best of my knowledge, the HS kids returned to the Internado yesterday & the younger ones will start Monday. There are about 12 kids in the ranches that can't get down yet because the roads were washed out."

There are a few high school students getting room & board at the Internado school, some Secundaria as well. The actual boarding school is a K-6, but the boarding facility covers higher grades if the kids qualify. The above is from the head of Amigos de los Ninos, who hold the annual art sale at Burro Beach & Bertha's restaurant to raise money for scholarships. Bobbe & Eduardo are there since Oct 8 so they weathered the storm; no flooding at "the beaches" as the playas on the Bay are known locally in Mulege.
I heard from Saul Davis, who is a grocer in town, that one guy who had a sort of mini-mart at his house up Icehouse road (and kept getting flooded) has moved to the new housing development. I'm guessing he'll set up a store there also. Obviously there will be a vacuum in services there till such things evolve as they do all over Mexico.

micah202 - 10-25-2012 at 05:53 PM

...anyone able to take some supplies down to mulege?
.......maybe someone could throw-in for a roll of mosquito net from a wholesaler??.....................

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "ask@discoverbaja.com" <ask@discoverbaja.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 1:36 PM
Subject: Discover Baja Hurricane Relief

Mulegé continues to dry out and recover from hurricane Paul. Through the generosity of our members, we have collected clothes, medical supplies, blankets, air bags and dog food. Now we need help in getting these things to Mulegé ASAP. If you can help, please let us know.

[Edited on 10-26-2012 by micah202]

micah202 - 10-26-2012 at 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by micah202
...anyone able to take some supplies down to mulege?
.......maybe someone could throw-in for a roll of mosquito net from a wholesaler??.....................

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "ask@discoverbaja.com" <ask@discoverbaja.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 1:36 PM
Subject: Discover Baja Hurricane Relief

Mulegé continues to dry out and recover from hurricane Paul. Through the generosity of our members, we have collected clothes, medical supplies, blankets, air bags and dog food. Now we need help in getting these things to Mulegé ASAP. If you can help, please let us know.

....the loads on it's way now

.

micah202 - 10-27-2012 at 03:54 PM

....how are thiings going down there.....any other needs,or all's good?

...any chance of a few more pic's around town?

....are mosquitoes a big issue---mulege more than elsewhere?

...curious minds need t'know!

.

[Edited on 10-29-2012 by micah202]

EngineerMike - 11-12-2012 at 06:53 PM

Just back after cleaning up @ my place for a week.

This flood was very fast moving, but the river level was down due to unusually low tide. At that, flood level was just below that of H.John in 2006. Velocity was due to the very high elevation at which rain accumulated to flood condition. Paul rained out over the tops of the divide between Pacific & Cortez, and the Cortez side had a lot of run to the sea to accumulate speed.

On the gringo side of town (in the river floodplain), there were a lot of preemptive fast moves to secure places & stuff. Not enough but many. Plenty of places flooded w/all contents mudded up. Lots of work for locals cleaning.
Stu's place (Stulege) @ Orchard was wiped off the map. Again. He has applied for new electric meter & extension to his lot, not sure of time. I didn't get into the Orchard to see who else was overly damaged but sure there are others. Stu has the worst exposure in the whole town, right where the Orchard's spit sticks out into the river in the most up-river position, direct in the line of flow.

The high school was hammered. Again. The government declared it condemned and moved the school to the new campus built across from the highway Pemex. Water has been in for a while & electricity. Phone & internet is not, hence the wait to move, but the flood fixed the wait. Current quote for phone/internet is 2 years which the kids need desperately for Laboratorio de Computacion. I suggested a microwave hop to Tiburon tower south of town (clearly visible from campus) then back to the central office in downtown Mulege (I think that's where Tiburon projects); see where that goes, that would work here. School is in session, and they are making the best of it. Nice layout, lots more room than the old floodplain location. Soccer, basketball & more classrooms than before. The Scholarship Program has been hanging on to about $3000 for new books for the library raised in previous flood (not wanting to plunk that down till the library was better protected from floods, duh). I set wheels in motion to fulfill that grant. Instructors are making up a wish list. Comm's are a pain as they have to send somebody into town just to check email or to work on grades on the SEP server in LaPaz.

In the valley above Mulege I heard Ray's restaurant (which Ray recently sold to somebody else) got knocked down; didn't see it first hand. And was told there are 3 or more ranch families whose ranches were utterly washed away, buildings & all. No lives lost, just livings. Government responded quickly overall. Handed out squeegees & other stuff for repair.

Mosquito spraying took place at least one night last week w/two passes by where I lodged. Might have been more nights, I was bushed and may not have noticed. Mosquitoes were ravenous anyway. Its getting cooler so that should be short lived & mosquito population should dwindle.

No plundering reported, outside of a couple places that were knocked open. Nothing like the bum's rush from earlier disasters, especially John. Not sure what to attribute that to. Maybe better police prep?

Our food drive here on Nomad's was very well received. Government food grants were about 150-200 pesos per. Saul made up 600 peso packets w/canned food, beans, cooking oil, etc., and our money put out packets for 39 families. With the wisdom of Solomon, & 2 folks showing up for the last packet, Saul divided it so actual 40 families received benefit. Many cried w/thanks. Saul had a list of all the materials handed out, all the accounting, and all the names (or descriptions, where everybody knows who it is but nobody knows the name, like Mudito for the small mute-deaf guy; Saul apologized for knowing him for years w/out knowing his name, but I guess he never mentioned it).
Then Saul hugged me w/tears in his eyes; that goes out to all who contributed, so THANKS A MILLION!!!!

Mulegena - 11-12-2012 at 07:22 PM

Thank you, Mike, for the in-depth update.
You're telling me things I don't even know about my own town!
Good job, Mike, and Everyone.
Mil Gracias!
Mulegena