Jump to content
Chapala.com Webboard

Last Big Storm of Season


CHILLIN

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 161
  • Created
  • Last Reply

It's so easy to scoff after the fact, knowing that the storm caused no problems in the Chapala area. The government did the right thing by taking precautions. Is it possible to be grateful instead of smug?

Absolutely. The tourists evacuated from PV? At the time that happened in the morning, they didn't know where the storm was going to hit. Mexico was so lucky that PV and Guad didn't take direct hits. Given the unprecedented development of the storm, the government came through, for once. Here's hoping that we hear good news from Sparks and Melaque when they get power back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Less than .5 inches of rain at our place in PV, maybe a gust of wind around 20 MPH this morning but that was it, thank God.

Vallarta was a ghost town yesterday, the people really heeded the warnings. There was an all day curfew, all businesses closed, no public transportation. I have heard no reports of any looting, try that NOB. Hope Sparks did well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before we continue pooh-poohing the storm, let's consider that yesterday no one could know for sure what was going to happen. My son emailed me this morning:

"I am glad to to hear all is well and the storm's impact slight.

It was very impressive to see the effect of the mountains on breaking the storm's eye. I watched updated satellite images over the hours as it made landfall and the storm simply split in half and dissipated."

People charged with public safety cannot risk other's lives when preparing for a storm of that magnitude. I am glad they were prepared and urged us also to be prepared. Imagine if they had done nothing and things had gone another way. This morning the posts here would be castigating them for being stupid and failing to plan. I really am getting tired of the constant criticizing no matter what is done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before we continue pooh-poohing the storm, let's consider that yesterday no one could know for sure what was going to happen. My son emailed me this morning:

"I am glad to to hear all is well and the storm's impact slight.

It was very impressive to see the effect of the mountains on breaking the storm's eye. I watched updated satellite images over the hours as it made landfall and the storm simply split in half and dissipated."

People charged with public safety cannot risk other's lives when preparing for a storm of that magnitude. I am glad they were prepared and urged us also to be prepared. Imagine if they had done nothing and things had gone another way. This morning the posts here would be castigating them for being stupid and failing to plan. I really am getting tired of the constant criticizing no matter what is done.

Sometimes you can't win for losing! Yes, better to be prepared and not need it than the alternative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Filling your bath tub with water to flush your toilet is not going to save you in a hurricane. The best advice is to leave the area.

Do you even live here? If you did then you would know that the intensification of hurricane Patricia took place in less than 24 hours. Absolutely no time to leave the area whatsoever. The Mexican government did a FABULOUS job getting the word out.

Anybody who's lived in Mexico knows that the mountains shred the hurricane's winds pretty quickly but the same cannot be said for torrential rain...which can take out the electricity...which leaves many people without WATER.

Filling your bathtub (if you have one) with water is a time honoured standard coping mechanism...if you don't have a tub, then you have at least 10 (or more) large garrafons filled with water.

How charming that those with 20/20 hindsight choose to give advice after the fact.

I appreciated the warnings and took precautions and I'm really happy that they weren't needed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About 30 minutes ago I went into the kitchen and saw some water on the floor. Looked up and saw drips from the beams. We have a flat roof on that part of the house.

I climbed up onto the roof and saw 3 drains were plugged with debris causing water to back up. I couldn't clear a drainpipe as it must have been clogged somewhere underground so I had to break it open to release the water from the roof.

If you have a flat roof and start to see drips you could be experiencing the same issues. The rain hasn't been heavy but it's been relentless for more than 24 hours so be aware that lack of proper drainage on flat roofs could cause big problems once the big rain that is predicted shows up. While we've already have had close to 3 inches the prediction is for 3-5 more, if of course you can believe wunderground.com.

Now, back to watching last week's episode of Survivor while we still have power...

My daughter lives in Todos Santos in Baja Sur. Last year in hurricane Odile there were 2 deaths reported there. One was a guy up doing something on his roof who got blown off. She said it was totally calm one minute, then the winds came up suddenly and super strong.

Best to make sure roof issues are taken care of well BEFORE a projected disaster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Less than .5 inches of rain at our place in PV, maybe a gust of wind around 20 MPH this morning but that was it, thank God.

Vallarta was a ghost town yesterday, the people really heeded the warnings. There was an all day curfew, all businesses closed, no public transportation. I have heard no reports of any looting, try that NOB. Hope Sparks did well.

So glad to hear that you and others at PV are safe. Seems that the precautions were heeded by all/most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My congratulations go out to the authorities for handling this one so well, and with such short notice after it upgraded so quickly to the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Congrats also to CFE who kept the lights on despite the numerous flickers where it very neary went out. The worst damage I have is a flat garden and a jasmine vine that has toppled over. My friends were of the lucky evacuees from PVR. They arrived here last night in good spirits after a 10 hour bus trip up the hill. Nothing to complain about especially as no one had to pay to be evacuated, food was supplied by thier hotel for the trip and they had far better conditions staying at my home than those poor stragglers who were evaced to local communities in the hills and who overnighted in schools.

We may still hear of some landslides as the swollen clays start t dry out, but all in all. I am very proud of Mexico right now. Everyone was on the job and doing just fine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It won't save you if your house blows away, but it will give you water to flush your toilet if water goes off.

That being said, I did none of those things. I did put flashlights, candles and lighters together and made sure I had gas in the car, water and staple food items and pet food. I did not anticipate personally having major problems but did not want to have to go out in it.

We have the luxury of needing only to prepare our households for the storm where we are immediately located. Public officials have to consider villages, towns, cities and states and what all the people there could possibly face. They provide general recommendations we are free to follow or ignore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My congratulations go out to the authorities for handling this one so well, and with such short notice after it upgraded so quickly to the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Congrats also to CFE who kept the lights on despite the numerous flickers where it very neary went out. The worst damage I have is a flat garden and a jasmine vine that has toppled over. My friends were of the lucky evacuees from PVR. They arrived here last night in good spirits after a 10 hour bus trip up the hill. Nothing to complain about especially as no one had to pay to be evacuated, food was supplied by thier hotel for the trip and they had far better conditions staying at my home than those poor stragglers who were evaced to local communities in the hills and who overnighted in schools.

We may still hear of some landslides as the swollen clays start t dry out, but all in all. I am very proud of Mexico right now. Everyone was on the job and doing just fine

I'm proud of the way the potential disaster was handled, too. The lights in downtown Ajijic area flickered once and that was it.

It's started raining again in neighborhood near LCS, but not heavily. Lucky us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your link doesn't work Mainecoons.

Anyway, I've seen what happens on the coast many times after living full time in San Pancho for six years. But, Cabo Corrientes (that's the southern side of the Bay of Banderas) is a great deterrent for hurricanes avoiding PV and up to a little past San Pancho....they either hit it and shred or it sends them out to sea and sometimes they curve back in and, unfortunately, hit Baja California. Kenna was an anomaly.

If a hurricane makes landfall south of Cabo Corrientes or north of Rincon de Guayabitos, then it's a really big disaster.

Inland, where we are, there is rarely the extreme wind just a lot of rain...and with that comes its own set of precautions. Better to be safe than sorry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you do. The strongest hurricane ever recorded was coming in your direction and you survived it, so you qualify.

Absolutely. You stood up to that hurricane and stared her down. :) T-shirt follows.

-- Looked it in the face and stared it down? I'm sure there was staring involved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your link doesn't work Mainecoons.

Anyway, I've seen what happens on the coast many times after living full time in San Pancho for six years. But, Cabo Corrientes (that's the southern side of the Bay of Banderas) is a great deterrent for hurricanes avoiding PV and up to a little past San Pancho....they either hit it and shred or it sends them out to sea and sometimes they curve back in and, unfortunately, hit Baja California. Kenna was an anomaly.

If a hurricane makes landfall south of Cabo Corrientes or north of Rincon de Guayabitos, then it's a really big disaster.

Inland, where we are, there is rarely the extreme wind just a lot of rain...and with that comes its own set of precautions. Better to be safe than sorry.

If you type the link to facebook into your browser, you will get to it. What's posted above is not a live link.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was impressed by the preparedness efforts also. I was working in an office on Friday morning with several Mexicans and they were all glued to the "television/smart phone" which had a constant stream of warnings, suggested precautions to take, etc. The Mexican radio advisories were non-stop all day as well. Mid-morning the Jalisco government announced they were shutting down all schools and government offices at 2pm. It's no wonder locals were taking it seriously. Whoever it is upthread that said they were surprised by the reaction of locals must not watch or listen to Spanish language broadcasts, I guess.

I even know someone with a glass-enclosed mirador and local authorities spotted it, rang the doorbell, and recommended taping the windows. Wow.

Kudos to the officials who did their jobs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a tiny report about Melaque from an English language source.

"At a small clinic in the neighboring community of Melaque, nursing chief Luis David Ramirez said workers spent the morning removing mud and fallen branches.

"We expected a much bigger disaster," he said. "We believe God helped us through this monster hurricane. We're still here."

excerpted from http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/24/americas/hurricane-patricia/

In that article, there are two reported deaths in Autlan, Jalisco, not confirmed yet. That is to the west of us, right where the hurricane crossed the mountains.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...