Hurricane Odile hits Baja California Sur on September 15
Most people heard the news about Hurricane Odile hitting Baja California with unprecedented winds and rainfall, causing widespread damage and power/internet outages. Cabo San Lucas was directly in the hurricane’s path and sustained incredible damage, including the airport which had to be closed. There is some good news on the recovery and rebuilding process, summarized here by Pete Thomas: http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2014/09/cabo-san-lucas-recovery-update-airport-to-reopen-saturday-hotels-to-reopen-beginning-oct-1.html.
We have been in communication (just brief emails) with our dear friends in Laguna San Ignacio. They were also very challenged by the wind and incredible rainfall, cutting off travel between the lagoon and town–their source of fresh water and food. We were happy to learn this week that the news is improving there as well. No people and no significant structures were harmed during the storm. They are dealing with heavy water flow coming out of the arroyos into the lagoon and travel disruptions, but vehicles were able to get through and get needed supplies. We are, of course, asking regularly what we can do to help and support them. And after they have time to re-group, we hope to do just that…help our eco-tourism partners and friends recover and host whalewatchers again this winter!
If you’ve visited some of Baja’s remote locations and islands with us, you have seen the incredible beauty created by major flooding events–huge sandy arroyos, steep canyons, lagoons, estuaries, rock formations, plant life adapted to intermittent rainfall, and more. Hurricane Odile will surely leave her mark as well. We are looking forward to visiting these areas again in 2015 to enjoy the work of nature and share it with our passengers. Our thoughts and prayers remain with our neighbors as they deal with the aftermath.
