**Off topic** cAPS' Mitch story.
The first day was windy, but wonderful.
We were in paradise as far as we were concerned. The resort (El
Dorado) is 60 miles south of Cancun. Actually quite a bit south of
Playa del Carmen. It is surrounded by the jungle on three sides, and
the ocean borders the fourth. It is *remote*. It's very laid back.
You feel more like you are staying at home with someone than at a big
commercial resort. The grounds are simple, and very beautifully
kept... Palm trees, vine arches, and comfortable beaches. The
accommodations are apartment style buildings with six or eight units
in each. Most are only two stories, and a few are three. The rooms
are done in cool Mexican tile, and there's a hammock on each
balcony/porch.
We arrived Sunday night, rested, ate and went to bed. Monday morning
we got up and spent our first (and only) day at this resort. All day
long we could tell that the storm was headed our way, and I went back
to the room to check the weather channel every couple of hours. By
the late afternoon it was evident that there was a VERY good chance
that 'the big one' was indeed headed our way. The highest strike
probability was the next day - late morning - a few hundred miles
south of us. Only problem was that this storm was HUGE at the time.
Well past the "category 5" classification with winds over 185 miles an
hour. Even though it wouldn't land directly at our paradise, if it
did land as projected the damage would still be catastrophic. Around
5 PM we received a note under our door from the hotel staff saying
that they planned to evacuate us first thing the next morning.
Things began to progress more quickly than that though.
After we received the note we had dinner, and then a few drinks at one
of the outside bars. Many of the guests were talking about the storm,
but no one seemed nervous yet. Actually most folks were denying the
fact that the storm was headed our way. It was getting gustier by the
minute, and the ocean, which normally (I was told) is quite placid,
was beginning to look like the pacific. I foolishly walked out one of
the piers, to get soaked. The water was covering it some of the time.
A little later we went back to the room to relax, and enjoy the
hammock (I REALLY liked that feature). I could tell the ocean was angry.
About 10 PM I saw a very large wave forming about 100 meters out. I
must have watched it coming in for almost a minute. When it hit it
washed up all the way to the rooms. Just barely retreating before
touching the buildings. This was quite worrisome to me. I went to
the front desk in the lobby. I was informed I should not worry and we
would be leaving as scheduled. The guests were getting restless now,
and there were at least 30 of them in the lobby asking the same sort
of questions. I did not really feel comfortable with the answer. The
grounds were quite flat; as far as I could tell the peninsula was flat
like this for miles and miles, and there was no sea wall at all.
Nevertheless I went back to my room to watch the ocean from my
hammock.
The ocean repeated its previous performance four or five times before
it got bored with simply teasing us. I had looked away for a few
minutes, and when I looked back I saw a much bigger wave breaking.
This one didn't stop. It went all the way through the first floor of
the buildings. I heard plate glass doors shatter, and
people were screaming. The ocean didn't let up, and within minutes
the first floor rooms were getting very wet, and covered with sand.
Thankfully we were on the second floor.
I went back to the lobby.
This time I was informed that the company that owned the hotel was
working on getting busses for us now. We should each pack a small bag
with a change of clothes, and anything valuable. We should place our
remaining luggage in the bathtub. I waded back to the room and we did
just that. The hotel staff still seemed not to be concerned (they had
all seen this before) but I was getting a little nervous.
Our hotel building was now *IN* the ocean. It was amazing to look out
the porch window, and see only the ocean, and then look out the back
of the room were the stairs are and STILL see ocean. The strong waves
were now tearing down the palm umbrellas (weighing at least 200 pounds
apiece) and throwing them into the hotel buildings. It was far too
late for the staff to prepare any of the beaches. I saw one worker
run out onto the beach when the tide recessed a little to try to get
something. The water rushed in suddenly, and he had to climb a tree
to keep from being overtaken by it. He ran away. Most of the (non
lobby) staff were also now appearing quite nervous.
Then the TVs went out. No more weather channel....
It was now a little after midnight.
Lauri and I each took our small bag and headed for the lobby through
the water (which was now mixing with sewage evidently). The lobby was
also now being overtaken with an occasional storm surge from the
ocean. It was an open air room with few walls to keep it from coming
in. I realized that if the ocean indeed kept coming, which it would,
we would have to walk up to the road and eventually into the jungle.
There was no where else on the grounds further inland to go. We were
losing our shelter. Where were the busses?
-Part two follows- |
