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Siri
Newbie
Posts: 23
Registered: 9-5-2009
Location: loreto, bcs
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Airlift relief to ranches
Paula, thanks for your U2U, made me realize I should probably reply here, for those who are particularly interested in helping the ranches in the
Sierras.
I worked with the Baja Bush Pilots airlift after Hurricane John and saw personally how they distributed aid. While the pilots did all fly donations
(clothes, medical supplies, etc) from the US into Baja airports, the 2nd part of the airlift was distributing aid boxes (dispensas) to areas
unreachable by road. After John, the dispensas were donated by both Wal-Mart Mexico and Fundacion Bancomer to Cruz Roja--but it was the Bush Pilots
who got the boxes to the ranches. Most of the time, they flew in pairs with one fixed-wing aircraft and one helicopter. The aircraft would "buzz"
each ranch past a road wash-out (as many had been abadoned prior to the Hurricane as people went to more central areas to wait out the flooding). If
someone came out, they would radio the nearby heli which would land and deliver the boxes...one ranch at a time. There were also specific assignments
from Cruz Roja, for example, they evacuated an elderly and ill woman from a small ranch and took her to Comondu.
The plan for this airlift is very similar. According to Jack, aid boxes are coming again from Wal-Mart Mexico. The good news is that, in addition to
the "food for a family of 4" boxes we had after John, now there are 2 additional types of aid boxes--one is baby supplies (food, diapers, blanket) and
the other is household cleaning supplies (including disinfectants).
If you are particularly interested in aid to the ranches, the BBP airlift is a great cause. It is not a effort only directed towards Mulege--quite
the opposite, aid will be spread all around, mostly based on Cruz Roja assessments. A portion of $ donations will be used for the pilots' fuel
expenses (mind you, they will likely be reimbursed only a small portion of their actual expenses), and the remainder will be donated directly to Cruz
Roja (via our connection in La Paz) and used to further purchase supplies as needed.
I have started a new thread called "Baja Bush Pilots-Hurricane Jimena Airlift Project" and am posting information there. We are waiting for a big
update from BBP this afternoon, that will include information of how to donate physical items as well as financial donations. Please check that
thread for new info.
Also, you can see photos from the H. John airlift on the BBP website at www.bajabushpilots.com. In the left-side menu under "Public Section", click "Photo Gallery I", then from the alphabetical drop-down list of
albums select "Hurricane Relief". As usual, I find the photos describe the project better than my words.
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Paula
Super Nomad
Posts: 2219
Registered: 1-5-2006
Location: Loreto
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Phil C
I spoke with Ramon Arce last night, there was much rain in the Sierras homes were slightly damaged and wet. No injuries reported. They did lose some
animals, chivas and burros. It seems that the people in Santa Teresa are O.K. as well. The road was damaged and everyone is working on it. No word on
how long that will take. |
Thanks Phil! This is the news I've been waiting for!
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ecomujeres
Nomad
Posts: 299
Registered: 9-10-2006
Location: Mulege, BCS & Oakland, CA
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Here's a short article about the ranches that I found in Sudcaliforniano.
Ranchers in Mulegé municipality receive help via CFE helicopter
from Sudcaliforniano, 9 Sept 2009-09-09 (translation: ecomujeres)
After 8 days of total isolation because of the destruction of rural roads, half a dozen ranches in the municipality of Mulegé began to receive
humanitarian aid via a helicopter from the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE)
The helicopter, departing from the port of Santa Rosalía, made its first trip this past Tuesday to San Sebastián, an intermediate point in the
sierras, carrying on board medical personnel, medicines, food rations and drinking water.
Today, similar help will be delivered to the ranches of San Francisco, Santa Marta, Guadalupe, El Patrocinio y San Pedro.
In spite of the geographic isolation, most of these ranches have kept in constant communication with each other from the first day of the emergency by
VHF radios. To date, no deaths have been recorded from the torrencial rains brought to the area by Hurricane Jimena.
What the hurricane did cause was the death of a very large number of goats, the destruction of several houses and the collapse of a number of wells.
Without much further detail, it is known that some ranchers that lost their houses have taken refuge at the homes of relatives in nearby ranches,
where they are waiting for help from the government to be able to rebuild their homes and replace their livestock.
The state roads commission is already working with heavy machinery in the first stretch of road that goes from San Miguel to Santa Marta and they
expect that at the latest, within in a week they will have finished the repair of the rest of the affected roads, including the one to San Francisco
de la Sierra.
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