Thursday, September 18, 2014

Odile update: 8,000 homes destroyed

damage by odilePeople lived here before Odile.PERIÓDICO CENTRAL

While the damage inflicted by Hurricane Odile on hotels and other business structures in Los Cabos is severe, it doesn’t compare to the estimated 8,000 homes that were destroyed Sunday and Monday.
It was the poorer urban communities that took the worst hit of all in the hurricane that made landfall near Cabo San Lucas on Sunday. Some just disappeared, leaving only wood debris, laminate roofing material and some bits of furniture.
Federal and state officials came up with the 8,000 figure yesterday, and observed that most of those homes were located in areas that had been illegally settled. Efforts are now under way to relocate hundreds of affected families to other areas.
At least 11,000 people were being housed in shelters as of Monday, while 27,000 tourists are believed to have been in the region when Odile struck.
One of the first sights that President Peña Nieto saw when he flew over the Los Cabos airport yesterday was an overturned plane on the runway, while the terminal itself is severely damaged.
During a visit to the airport, a boy of 10 caught the president’s attention when he yelled, “Peña, a plane to Tijuana!” The request prompted onlookers to gather round Peña Nieto to ask for fast action on an air bridge and supplies, particularly water.
Among other developments yesterday:
  • 22 Armed Forces and commercial planes are being utilized to transport stranded visitors and residents to Tijuana, Mazatlán, Guadalajara and Mexico City. The commercial airlines offering rescue flights are Aeroméxico, Interjet and Volaris.
  • Water commission director David Korenfeld said work is under way to restore one of the water plants that supplies 40% of the area’s needs.
  • “Alternative energy” sources, presumably portable power plants, are being used to deliver water through aqueducts to 26 wells.
  • The Federal Electrical Commission (CFE) reported 2,186 damaged power poles, of which 1,800 are in Los Cabos affecting 239,000 users who are without power, representing 92% of customers in the region.
  • CFE chief Enrique Ochoa said service had been reestablished to 40% of customers, a figure expected to reach 95% by the end of the week.
  • Highway infrastructure sustained only one serious piece of damage when the Cuadaño bridge was destroyed. It will require 150 million pesos to replace, said Transport Secretary Gerardo Ruiz Esparza.
  • Several hotels have announced that their guests are safe and well but unable to communicate with their families due to the lack of Internet and phone service.
And from reports today:
  • The road between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz is passable but is down to one lane.
  • Food is running out fast and most stores have been looted. Only one store in the Oxxo chain was spared.
  • The federal government and different organizations are flying food into La Paz, for government delivery.
  • Supply centers are operating in Ensenada, Mexicali and Tijuana and accepting non-perishable items for delivery by National Defense to victims.
Sources: Periódico Central (sp), Gringo Gazette (en)
- See more at: http://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/odile-update-communities-disappeared/#sthash.ZCQcWRom.dpuf

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