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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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#11
La Paz Mini Storage
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Bajabus
Senior Nomad
Posts: 892
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Elias Calles B.C.S. or NC USA
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Mood: My friends..it's good.
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Oh my that is so sad. Thanks for the pics.
Unfortunately it is a scene we will see repeatedly in years to come as so much new construction these days seems to be getting perilously close to
zona federal arroyos.
I have a zona federal arroyo bordering my property directly to the North but the whole border is almost all solid rock and I'm up 55 ft and about 60
meters in from it.
In 15 years it has really only run violently once during hurricane Julietta and it was a doozy. From that day I always had a very healthy respect for
those seemingly forever dry river beds
The flatlands bordering arroyos are dangerous places to be and build even if has never flooded in recent memory.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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#12
La Paz Mini Storage
[Edited on 9-10-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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#13
La Paz Mini Storage
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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#14 :(:(:(
La Paz Mini Storage 
This is the last one I'm posting!
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gpm414
Junior Nomad
Posts: 67
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Summer: Oregon Winter: Baja
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I just looked at this area using Google Earth. It's easy to follow the arroyos in the area "upstream" from the airport. The dam that is mentioned is
also visable, but it seems to drain directly into the major arroyo that you cross a couple of miles north of the airport just before you enter La Paz.
There seem to be three or four arroyos that funnel into the area near the airport. Check out Google Earth, it's a great tool for viewing your
special places in Baja.
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joel
Nomad
Posts: 361
Registered: 2-2-2007
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Thanks for the photos and all the information.
I am so very sorry for all those folks who have stuff stored there and the owners of the place who have been so great to so many folks over the years
and then to have this happen.
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
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Oh man, that's pretty sad, i am stuck in the restaurant most of the day, but if theres anything i can do to help in my spare time, i would be happy to
contribute.
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Norm
Junior Nomad
Posts: 82
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: AUBURN CA
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Mood: GOOD!!!!!
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FLOOD !!
THANKS TO ALL THE NOMADS <WE LOVE YOU> THIS IS SO SAD ! WE HAVE KNOWN JIM & GLORIA FOR A LONG TIME. They have worked hard to set this place
up, so that all of use can have a safe place to store our things. We have a place next door on the north side, our wall is in good shape. Jim thinks
there is water in the yard , no time to go look??? Thanks to any one that has time to help,any way they can... I KNOW THAT THEY WILL HELP YOU LATER
ANY WAY THAT THEY CAN !!!!!
IF ANY ONE CAN TAKE A PHOTO OF OUR PLACE , WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT !!!
THANKS TO ALL NOMADS~~ NORM & SUE
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oldlady
Banned
Posts: 1714
Registered: 10-31-2005
Location: BCS
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According to Jim and other tenants, local Mexican authorities decided to release some of the water behind the dam. Stories will vary, I am sure, but
those of us in the path now realize that they virtually opened the dam thing up instead of a controlled release. Jim's wall, extremely high and
strong, acted as a second dam until it gave way. Jim, Gloria and friends staying with them scurried for their lives to a "cupola" the equivalent of
3 stories up. In 10 years he had never had water in the bodegas.
Jim broke his shoulder in the ordeal. I have not spoken to anyone who indicates that Jim received warning.
Depending on the location of your "stuff" damage had been from moderate
to total. The mud reached a minimum of 1 meter and sat there. Some like my friends Robin and Miriam store their their trailers there during
hurricane season and either return north for annual visits to family or house sit here.
For these people there trailer is there home. Robin and Miriam lost everything, their home.
My husband and I were within days of emptying our unit to move into our house. The house should have been finished more than three months ago,
but we all know contractors! All of our furniture, books, ya know, "stuff"
was there. Most of it is gone. My art collection, photographs, memorobilia...gone. I have an interesting piece of art. It is a photograph
enlarged to the max of a small part of a building. It was taken at sunset in the late 1970's such that it looks like a photograph of golden organ
pipes. Few guess what it is. It was done by a friend of mine, a young photographer who, just as his talent became recognized, died of AIDS. The
photo is of a section of One World Trade Center. It needs to be reframed. It survived.
For those of you not here who would like me to do what I can to check on anything at Jim's send me a U2U. I will check here during the day. Some of
those who lost everything helped unload our bodega in hopes that we could save some things and brought it to our Chametal rental (3 minutes from the
bodega). Imagine, putting aside your own horror to help someone whose horror is less. There's some pretty damn good people here!
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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Norm & Sue, I'll be there today for as long as I'm needed to help the office gals by fielding English-speaking calls. I'll find out which place
is yours & get some pics for you. If you'll U2U me your e-mail address, I'll send them as soon as I get home later this afternoon/evening.
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oldlady
Banned
Posts: 1714
Registered: 10-31-2005
Location: BCS
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Larry,
Sorry, I don't know. I spent all day and into the night on Saturday and Sunday scraping mud out of my stuff and hosing it off. I'm about half done.
Trying to blame anyone for something here has, in my experience, been futile. They always move it to someone else. Rumors are that it had to be
opened to save lives. When it happened I was trying to get to Centenario. We stopped at the edge of Centenario, couldn't get through. Military guys
were evacuating a few people from the Campestre Marantha because they were going to "open the dam". No one knew what dam and clearly they didn't know
where the dam water was going to go. That was about 10:30am Wednesday. So, someone knew the "plan". Forgetting the stuff, Jim and Gloria could have
been killed. By the way...the water where I was that morning never got any deeper....1-2 feet except in the Vados.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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Mood: Inquisitive
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| Quote: | Originally posted by lencho
| Quote: | Originally posted by oldlady
No one knew what dam and clearly they didn't know where the dam water was going to go. |
If anybody finds out, please advise. The only major dam that I'm aware of on the La Paz side of the divides is the Buena Mujer/Cajoncito drainage and
if that ever overflows the dikes running through La Paz to where it starts affecting the airport/Chametla area a lot of people are in
big trouble.
Is there some dam out towards San Pedro that I've missed out on?
--Larry |
The earlier suggestion about using Google Earth might be helpful, Larry. Any dam, however small, should be easily spottable.
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Paladin
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Posts: 164
Registered: 3-25-2006
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I'm curious why all the discussion about this flood and the dam contributing to it and no dicussion I remember about the dam breaking last year in
Mulege.
Did I ask another bad question????
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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One POOPED Puppy here......
First things first...Norm & Sue, I asked Jim to point me towards your casa, he advised that your place is just fine; he'd
personally gone over & checked it out. Based on his assurance & the fact that I was needed there, I didn't get over to your casa. I'm sorry!
BOATS
Anyone with boats stored there will be happy to hear that no boats were damaged...that includes yours Alan! There
will probably need to be some heavy duty cleaning on trailers...just back waaaay down the ramp the next time you launch!
AUTOMOBILES/TRUCKS/SUV's
The smaller the vehicle, the greater the likelihood that it's got water/mud both in the engine compartment & the interior. The GOOD
NEWS is that the insurance companies are covering anyone who has even minimal liability insurance. If you do, contact your insurance company
immediately & they are making arrangements to have a tow truck pick the vehicle up, take it to a mechanic where the engine will be steam cleaned,
as will the interior of all vehicles which got water inside. All the fluids will be flushed & replaced, including the gas tank, and the vehicle
will be put back into running order & returned to the storage lot. You pay your deductible. There is a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity
here...two weeks at the outside or it'll probably be too late to recover the vehicle. This occurred last Wednesday around 9:30 AM, according to the
employees who were in the office at that time. So basically, nearly one week is gone; you need to act fast to get your vehicle checked out &
cleaned up immediately! The smaller & lower to the ground the vehicle (VB bugs), the greater damage...the higher ground clearance (Suburbans,
etc), much less damage. As you might have noted in the pics I posted, the highwater line on most of the vehicles & trailers was around the 3'
level. No insurance...make a personal determination ASAP whether you want to have your car restored at your own expense or junk it & replace
it when you come down next! You'd have to figure out how to pay for repairs remotely...contact Jim or Olga immediately if you'd like them to get
the vehicle picked up & checked out.
TRAILERS/MOTOR HOMES/RV's
Ditto....If you have insurance, cleanup & damage repair will be covered...minus your deductible, of course! A lot of trailers have a lot of mud
in them!
STORAGE BODEGA's
Depending on the location, some appear to have fared worse than others, but the basic rule of thumb is, if "it" was sitting on the floor of the
bodega, or within the first 3' of the floor, depending on the composition of the item, it sustained major damage. To expect anything to be
recoverable, time is of the essence! Any furniture made with pressboard, particleboard or laminated items...it's probably too late...solid hardwood
items, like oak, can probably be rescued & restored if you act immediately. Boxes, mattresses, anything that wicks water, would most likely be
beyond recovery/restoration by this time. Jim cannot open the bodegas...either the owner or a designated representative must unlock them. Many have
doors blown off their tracks on one or both sides, with the lock still in place. According to Jim & the insurance companies he's talked with...if
you have Homeowners Insurance either here or in the states, your personal possessions are supposed to be covered. (Please don't shoot the
messenger; contact your stateside insurance provider & ask them if they cover your household goods & personal possessions 900 miles south of
the border!)
JIM & GLORIA'S HOME
Had 2' of water inside & very deep mud was being shoveled & pushed outside today. They lost a major amount of personal possessions,
appliances, all the office PC's, but one; the office files are a soggy mess! They do have the paper copies of customer records in four 3" 3-ring
binders & that's what they're working with.
THE PURPORTED CAUSE
According to Jim...there's another dam in/near/above "Tope-Town"/San Pedro. When "they" attempted to release some of the water slowly, the sluice
gates blew off their mounting brackets & sent an unexpected wall of water downstream! Lencho, I'm sorry, I didn't get a damn dam name! Maybe
those wise folks at CIB could be forthcoming with the name of another (other than the one responsible for the Fidipaz arroyo) dam near San Pedro!
Those are the high points of what I learned today, I'm certain I'll wake up around 3 AM with something major I forgot! I'm also certain that I'll be
posting new information as I get it over the next few days.
I think I had a brief mental meltdown today ...I actually told my builder to pick
out the pattern for the celocia (sp?) (ventilation blocks) for my new garage today...that lasted all of about 30 minutes before sanity reigned & I
called him back & told him to pick me up at 4 PM and I'd go with him!
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Roberto
Banned
Posts: 2162
Registered: 9-5-2003
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| Quote: | Originally posted by lencho
Thanks for the suggestion. I already had done that, and had checked recent digital 1:50,000 INEGI topos which should have
all those details, before I asked others about it.
--Larry |
Recent INEGI topos? Is there such a thing? And, if so, where are they available?
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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There was a least one other Nomad helping out yesterday...well, that I could identify through under all the mud!! Comitan was there doing heavy work & I can attest to the fact
that he was one mud-speckled POOPED puppy by the time he left...his mud-covered shoes had to weigh an extra 5 lbs EACH!!
[Edited on 9-11-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]
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oldlady
Banned
Posts: 1714
Registered: 10-31-2005
Location: BCS
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Legs,
You, Comitan and so many deserve so much gratitude from all of us whom you have helped. We were able to get our friends' trailer out and over to our
place yesterday where we can begin flushing it out and see if anything can be saved. Seems like all we've done is move mud around. There are a lot of
very tired people now and we keep reminding ourselves that this is small potatoes compared to what the people in Mulege suffered a year ago. So we
keep shoveling and try to keep it in perspective.
Again, Muchisimas Gracia!
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Paladin
I'm curious why all the discussion about this flood and the dam contributing to it and no dicussion I remember about the dam breaking last year in
Mulege.
Did I ask another bad question???? |
It is not a bad question, but there was no dam to burst in the Mulege river drainage. The storm just centered in the mounains for a long time and
caused the river drainage to flood.
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Paladin
I'm curious why all the discussion about this flood and the dam contributing to it and no discussion I remember about the dam breaking last year in
Mulege.
Did I ask another bad question???? |
Not bad...you just haven't found the right threads yet! No dam in the Mulege disaster...but a bazillion posts & concern & pleas for
help & offers of help on a Hurricane John thread...don't recall the exact thread name, but no time to search for it now...heading back to the La
Paz Mini Storage Mud Baths!
oldlady & others who have U2U'd, I'll get back to you individually later, but I'm just doing what I'd hope others would do if positions were
reversed. m/m oldlady were helped & are helping others in the midst of their own tragedy!!
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