So I am a newbie here and the thought of a hurricane or large tropical storm coming this way definitely makes me feel eerie. Can anyone shed some light on this for me.. Make me feel more comfortable.. Explain what they have done in the past or plans they have if something major hits here? I would really appreciate it. Thank you!!
Did you read what CancunCanuck posted? http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/liv.../16374-canadian-consulate-hurricane-info.html
Hurricanes have been a part of my life, for most of my adult years. From 1976 when I was a fishing guide in the Keys, to now. Currently I live less than a km. from the Bay of Campeche, although hurricanes are almost a non-issue here (notice the "almost"). But I have sat out 7 hurricanes already, and am still here. You'll probably still hear horror stories about Wilma (2005) the eye of which, passed over my house in Stuart Florida, about a week after finally giving up on Cancun. Whereas Cancun may experience another storm in the near future, I think it's safe to say that the odds of having a storm that just sits on top of Cancun for 3 days, are about the same as winning the 250 million dollar Powerball Lottery. Very generally speaking, a hurricane will last about 12-14 hours. Anyway, my advice would be to look around you. Any house you see that is more than 5 years old, has already survived Wilma, so the chances are it's not going anywhere when another one strikes. If you are renting, it might be a good idea to ask the owner, just what if any damage the house suffered during Wilma, so that you might be better prepared to prevent that in the future. Then take a look at your surroundings. What kind of flooding do you get with just the Summer rains? (You can ask about this too, since you are new.) Also take stock of any debris in your area. Have palm trees? Coconuts fly in a hurricane, and it's good to make sure they're all down, including dead fronds, etc. Always think worse case scenario (direct hit), and then hopefully be pleasantly surprised later. Based on what you have learned about your own dwelling, you should make a determination as to what circumstances will allow you to stay in your own home, or if you should evacuate. But remember that assuming your home can withstand the storm, the most impact on your life will come after it is over. Plan on being without electricity for at least 2 weeks. Hope for less. I know that I shall own a home near the water, somewhere in Q.R. some day, and I already have "plans" to install gas lines, so that I can have a propane stove, refrigerator and freezer in the house. I am also going to install a generator that is hard wired to the control panel of the house. Fire that puppy up, and because I don't have other electric major appliances, I should be able to run most of the bedroom mini-split AC units at night if necessary. Hopefully, my biggest concern will be if there's enough booze in the house for 2 weeks or more. Aside from that, there are your checklists. Things like making sure your car's gas tank is full. Also fill any portable gas containers you might have. If you have a bathtub, fill it (and everything else you can find that holds water), before the storm hits. You can use this water to fill your toilets, wash dishes, etc. If you have a tinaco on your roof, your toilets will work only for as long as there is water in the tinaco. You have no way to fill the tinaco, until power is restored. Buy extra garrafones of drinking water. Have an electric can opener? Also make sure you have a manual one! Oil lamps and lots of oil. They're neat to have anyway. But candles too. Flash lights and extra batteries. Extra batteries for EVERYTHING that is battery operated. Coolers full of BLOCK ice. This will usually last only 3-4 days on average, but it's better than nothing. Battery operated radio. I don't know how the telephone system works in Mexico, but in the States, the phone companies have back-up power sufficient for land lines, for about 3 days after the loss of power. So you can have no lights but still have phone service. If this is true in Mexico also, remember that this only works with CORDED phones. Wireless phones will not work. Other people will have other things that are useful, especially as applied to the area of Cancun. I'm sure.....just as sure as I am that I have forgotten something.
Windknot covered a lot here, I think the main thing is not to panic. With almost seven years here, I have experienced more "warnings" than anything, but of course we were here for Wilma, the big bad mama. The days before a hurricane are always a bit exciting, watching the satellites and tracking the storm. With the technology we have today, there won't be any surpises (like Gilberto in 88, friends tell me they had 4 hours notice to secure their houses). You'll have time to stock up and get ready, batten down the hatches as it were. You'll probably freak yourself out and then be "disappointed" when nothing happens (well, grateful but you'll wonder what all the fuss was about). The buildings here are made for hurricanes (the streets were not, expect flooding). Secure your windows and if the house is prone to flooding, elevate your stuff if you can. Unplug electrical items. Secure your tinacos, they sure can fly (make sure they are full of water, that should help). Secure gas tanks. If a big storm is REALLY coming, they'll usually shut down the electricity before the worst arrives to prevent accidents with downed wires. Have a phone in the house that does not rely on electricity. Get a car charger for your cel. Have a plan for your pets if you've got them. Don't go nuts on canned goods, even after Wilma the stores opened within a day or two, but do stock up on water. We put a garbage can or two outside to catch rain water for flushing. Contact your consulate, registering with them ahead of time is a good idea. Get cash, with no electricity the ATM's won't work of course. Do your laundry the day before the storm is expected. Have lots of towels available for sopping up rain, mops only go so far sometimes. Find the place in your house that is most protected from flying windows and set up camp. Find a place to park your car where it's not going to get smashed by a falling palm tree. Keep in touch with friends and have a "back up" place to stay should something drastic happen to your home. While Wilma was scary, it was the time after the storm that was the worst. Not knowing how the city fared, if we would have jobs, etc etc.. There was looting in the city, security is an issue, get to know your neighbours!!! Our neighbours played a big part in our survival after Wilma, they were incredibly helpful, everyone looked out for everyone else. Check on your neighbours and they'll check on you, if you've got extra crackers, they'll have extra cheese. I lost count of the number of neighbours who came by with milk, they knew we had a six month old baby and they checked on us often. I won't describe fully the Wilma experience, suffice it to say that it was one of the worst hurricanes in history but we survived just fine, even with 21 days of no electricity and a tiny babe in arms. It's certainly an experience that will stay with me forever, but I don't expect to have one like it again. If we can survive Wilma, anything else should be a cake walk.
You guys forgot the most important thing. They stop selling all booze as the storm approaches, I think 48 hours before. So you have to stock up. After Wilma we had Dean but it was just hard wind gusts and lots of rain. For most of the warnings we get, it seems the storms are approaching from the east, but turn to the north at the last minute. We are left with tons of rains which flood the streets, especially those downtown. Wilma totaled my car when an 8 ft concrete wall crushed it about 2 hours into the storm. Having grown up in Florida I was used to hurricanes. But I thought that we were going to die at the hands/winds of Wilma. The guy who built the wall also built the house. But as it turned out he must have put concrete in the voids of the blocks to anchor in the rebar, which he did NOT do in the wall. In the end it was quite exciting. We were well stocked up on everything, including gas so we could cook. We were stuck in the house during the storm and for a couple of days after as the water on our street was about 2-3 feet deep. The giant tinaco on the roof blew over so we had no water except what we had in the 5 gallon garrafons. Showers were 2 liter bottles of water that we stood on the toilet and poured on our significant other and they then poured on us. It was a bonding experience to say the least. The airport was closed for a while and Terminal 1 was never really reopened. Spirit Airlines stayed closed for months and stranded dozens of people, inluding me, and did nothing but put a credit on my Master Card for the amount of the canceled flight. I had to find my own way back to FL, at my own expense. I actually was going back on business but also to a wedding in New York, where I was flying on Spirit. Being prepared in the best advice that you have gotten here. I think we have only had Wilma and Gilbert do any major damage to Cancun in the last 25 years so the odds are good. Some of the storms turned south though and did some bad stuff to the Tulum area and even down to Majahual. No Fear.
Sorry....I was writing as TJ was posting Cancun Canuck is absolutely right in the "no panic" department, and also brings up a good point about all the warnings that eventually end up as nothing. Consider that a hurricane looks like a giant monster on a satellite map; something that could more than envelope the entire Yucatan Peninsula. But the hurricane force winds rarely eminate much more than 50-60 miles out from the eyewall. This means that if the eye of a westward moving hurricane passed over the southern tip of Cozumel, Cancun would experience winds of minimal hurricane force--if that. I think Hurricane Dean of 2007 is an excellent illustrator of that point. Cancun got nothing from Dean, in terms of damaging winds and yet this was a Cat-5 storm, the worst you can get. Dean made landfall less than 200 miles to the South. After crossing the Yucatan and the Bay of Campeche, Dean made a second landfall, just over 100 miles north of me in Veracruz, as almost a Cat-2 storm and I have seen worst winds from a norte (cold front) in every Winter I've spent here. There are a bunch of generalizations that you can make about hurricanes, but I'll offer just one, for any "worriers" out there. OK.."A hurricane that is moving at a "normal" speed (8-12 mph), will rarely (repeat, RARELY) move in a direction that is to the south of due west." The center of Cancun sits at about 21:09 North, so once the published center of the storm reaches that latitude, the chances are, that it will at least pass to the north of Cancun. Of course, the further East it is when it reaches 21:09, the better the chances of lesser and lesser effect on Cancun. That said, if the storm slows down and/or (God forbid) remains stationary, (like Wilma, and Frances [2004] ) then all bets are off, and yes, it could move in a southerly direction, at least for a short while. BTW, this generalization is substantiated by the current map put out by NOAA, showing all the named storms, since hurricane tracking was ever put into effect.
Why thank you everyone I really appreciate all the information. I could of done all the research available online and wouldn't feel as good about it as I do now reading your stories and suggestions. Thank you.
Most people don't know that almost every building in the peninsula other then palapas are made with hollow blocks that have metal wire inside that is later filled with cement to make very heavy & sturdy buildings, these the only damage that these buildings can suffer are broken windows if left unprotected & water damage on the first floor flooding occurs but it rarely gets that high unless you live in a very low area... tinacos & gas containers can be thrown away unless securely attached to the building. I have lived in Cancun for 14 years trust me on this, During Hurricane Wilma i recall maybe 3 people dying during the storm, two of them were plain & simple idiots who walked outside because they thought it would be cool & another guy who i think had a heart attack or something & couldn't get to a hospital in time...
