Gale in KY
18th July 2005, 06:27 PM
Greetings all, After maintaining a vigil last night until the wee hours this morning, I have spent the better part of today trying to find info on how our beautiful Tulum faired in the eye of Emily.
Not much info is coming out of there right now, but, here is a synopsis of what I have learned:
Conflicting reports on the damages along the beach road, but, I am leaning toward the worst: Here is why....stick huts directly on the water cannot possibly fare well in 135 mph winds and storm surges to boot. With that in mind here is the bad news I have received today:
The beach road was closed by the military and around 1pm today was considered a disaster zone. Later the report was that the military had been concentrating on Tulum Pueblo and had not inspected the beach road area yet. Huh?
Beach road is demolished, pretty much all the way to Punta Allen. Xamach Dan's place was reported to be pretty much gone from what he has been told. I have had a couple of reports about private residences along the BP Rd. that were virtually decimated, not much left. No info has come in today about Boca Paila or Punta Allen, or any of the many fishing camps in the area. Any info would be welcome.
Papaya Playa lost several Cabanas and the Bar.
And of course, the news reports stating that several stick cabanas close to the ruins were lost to a landslide.
Tulum Pueblo experienced severe flooding. It is estimated to be at least 3-4 days before the electric is restored in town.
Landscaping, trees, plants seem to have been Emily's target, many places are reporting losses.
Now for the good reports:
No Fatalities being reported!
Holly with Copal has someone on the way to Tulum to update and give report...you can find this followup on Trip Advisor. Let's hope she comes in with good news.
Amazingly, Zamas and Ana Jose are reporting little or no damage..I think I would take these reports with a grain of salt until we are able to find out for sure..as much as I want this to be true, I am picturing one of the store owners in town smiling this huge smile at me as he attempted to sell his wares, saying, "don't worry, all is OK!".
The Ruins appear to be ok, but, they will be examined for structural soundness in the near future, as will all ruins in the Yucatan.
No reports of any resturants in town, Que Fresco at Zamas is reported to be "OK".
Some reports say the wind was worse, others say the flooding was worse, I am sure in the days to come we will find out more.
Just a little north, in Tankah, damage reports are coming in saying major destruction or not so bad..it almost seems to be hit or miss.
If anyone has any info from Soliman Bay, or Tankah..please post it up, I have several people who have been asking. Same for Xel-ha..they were ground zero for the eye, yet no reports from there today.
With that out of the way, lets just all remember that the real heart of the Maya and of Tulum are the people, buildings can be rebuilt, roads repaved, electric lines re-run, trees and plants replanted, even the beach can be remade, but, the wonderful people of Tulum could never be replaced. I am so thankful that everyone appears to have made it thru. As a bonus, I don't think Emily touched the sunrises or the stars in the carribbean sky!
Buenes Tardes. I am going to find a good nites sleep!
Not much info is coming out of there right now, but, here is a synopsis of what I have learned:
Conflicting reports on the damages along the beach road, but, I am leaning toward the worst: Here is why....stick huts directly on the water cannot possibly fare well in 135 mph winds and storm surges to boot. With that in mind here is the bad news I have received today:
The beach road was closed by the military and around 1pm today was considered a disaster zone. Later the report was that the military had been concentrating on Tulum Pueblo and had not inspected the beach road area yet. Huh?
Beach road is demolished, pretty much all the way to Punta Allen. Xamach Dan's place was reported to be pretty much gone from what he has been told. I have had a couple of reports about private residences along the BP Rd. that were virtually decimated, not much left. No info has come in today about Boca Paila or Punta Allen, or any of the many fishing camps in the area. Any info would be welcome.
Papaya Playa lost several Cabanas and the Bar.
And of course, the news reports stating that several stick cabanas close to the ruins were lost to a landslide.
Tulum Pueblo experienced severe flooding. It is estimated to be at least 3-4 days before the electric is restored in town.
Landscaping, trees, plants seem to have been Emily's target, many places are reporting losses.
Now for the good reports:
No Fatalities being reported!
Holly with Copal has someone on the way to Tulum to update and give report...you can find this followup on Trip Advisor. Let's hope she comes in with good news.
Amazingly, Zamas and Ana Jose are reporting little or no damage..I think I would take these reports with a grain of salt until we are able to find out for sure..as much as I want this to be true, I am picturing one of the store owners in town smiling this huge smile at me as he attempted to sell his wares, saying, "don't worry, all is OK!".
The Ruins appear to be ok, but, they will be examined for structural soundness in the near future, as will all ruins in the Yucatan.
No reports of any resturants in town, Que Fresco at Zamas is reported to be "OK".
Some reports say the wind was worse, others say the flooding was worse, I am sure in the days to come we will find out more.
Just a little north, in Tankah, damage reports are coming in saying major destruction or not so bad..it almost seems to be hit or miss.
If anyone has any info from Soliman Bay, or Tankah..please post it up, I have several people who have been asking. Same for Xel-ha..they were ground zero for the eye, yet no reports from there today.
With that out of the way, lets just all remember that the real heart of the Maya and of Tulum are the people, buildings can be rebuilt, roads repaved, electric lines re-run, trees and plants replanted, even the beach can be remade, but, the wonderful people of Tulum could never be replaced. I am so thankful that everyone appears to have made it thru. As a bonus, I don't think Emily touched the sunrises or the stars in the carribbean sky!
Buenes Tardes. I am going to find a good nites sleep!