When you see people on television who have experienced a natural disaster, you try to imagine what it would be like to be in their situation. How would you react? Unfortunately, my partner Scott and I found out first hand with Hurricane Odile.
For my partner Scott’s birthday, we take our customary vacation to our place in Cabo during the week of Sept. 14. On Sunday, the day of our departure, we are aware that there may be heavy rain that night in Cabo due to a hurricane that is predicted to pass offshore. We check with Alaska Airlines and they indicate that our 10:30 a.m. flight is on time with no problems.
Our landing at Cabo is delayed due to some “weather,” so we circle for 45 minutes. The pilot indicates the weather is moving by quickly. After landing the situation starts to deteriorate fast. We are the last flight in; unknown to us, Hurricane Odile has changed course and is headed directly toward Cabo. Since Avis did not arrive to pick us up at the airport as scheduled, we head to the rental office and after much heated discussion convince the representative to give us our reserved car.
On our way down to our condo in Cabo, we decide to purchase food in case the storm is greater than anticipated. When Scott and I arrive at our resort, it is a ghost town. Our property manager indicates that the property has been evacuated and everyone left on buses to Tijuana just an hour before. He offers to store our food and arranges for us to stay at a hotel in downtown Cabo to ride out the storm. When we check in, the property has no electricity or running water. The hotel management gives us two bottles of water, yogurt, matches and candles.
At 7:30 p.m., rain, whistling wind and the indescribable sounds of destruction announce the onset of Hurricane Odile. The building begins to shake. I think “Will this be my last memory? Will we be buried alive as the building gives way”?
The storm rages. Each shake of the building seems stronger; each sound of glass shattering seems closer. God, will it ever stop?
At 12:30 a.m., as we move into Monday, the storm begins to dissipate. An eerie silence fills the air. Dashing hopes of an end to our ordeal, Scott suggests we are in the eye of the storm. That means the hurricane is passing directly over Cabo. We actually fall asleep during the calm.
Scott is right. Violent rain and wind awaken us at 2 a.m. Hurricane Odile’s back end is beginning to hit. Our window begins to shake violently and the sound of flying debris is unbearable, as water begins to come under our door. Finally, at 4.45 a.m. the storm subsides. After eight hours of hell, we survive!
As dawn breaks, I peer outside; Cabo looks like a war zone. Despite the destruction, our rental car is intact and we drive to the airport. Downed power lines, highway signs, lamp posts, trees, glass and other hurricane detritus litter the road.
The airport is devastated and we are promptly told to leave by the police. We drive into San José del Cabo. People wander the streets like extras from a zombie movie. But a bigger problem is unfolding: a shortage of food and water. All the major food stores are closed and extensive lines are developing at small convenience stores.
Scott and I decide to make our way back to Cabo San Lucas. As we travel, we understand that Mother Nature is an egalitarian destructor; luxury resorts or modest residences – she devastates all with the same fury.
Our resort Esperanza is not spared; in fact there is major damage at the beachfront luxury resort. Fortunately, we retrieve the food we purchased the day before from our condo, return to our temporary hotel and share our bounty with a few of those stranded with us. Food is not really an issue, we have enough non-perishable items to last us a week; water is another story.
As Tuesday dawns, activity in town picks up quite a bit. People wait in lines for hours to get gas and are restless. Information about how to get home is nonexistent; there is nothing but rumor.
We hear that the local Walmart and Sam’s Club are handing out water, so we walk the mile to the stores only to find people looting. It is absolute chaos.
I tell Scott to stay outside and enter one of the big box stores. It is like being in a disaster movie. The entire store is being looted; people climb the shelves and throw product down to others. Some of the heavier product simply smashes to the floor as people avoid being hit by 10 pound jars of mayonnaise. My objective is water. I pick my way through this surreal environment until I find shelves filled with bottles of water – completely untouched! I lift a case and look for a way out as I sweat profusely in the 100 plus degree warehouse. There are thousands of people trying to get out the front of the store. The exits are blocked by looted mattresses, refrigerators and shopping carts filled to the brim. A slight panic comes over me; I look for an emergency exit and find one at the extreme back of the store. To my surprise, I simply walk out the back door and reunite with a very worried Scott. My foray takes over 40 minutes. All for six dollars worth of essential drinking water.
Scott and I return to our hotel and share our water with those in the lobby. No one asks where we got the water, they are simply glad we are sharing it. The looting has put everyone on edge. What will happen next? Will people begin to loot hotels or worse begin to rob tourists?
As we walk past the pool to go up to our room, the water level is noticeably lower. People are filling garbage cans with pool water and taking it to their rooms to force flush the toilets. We share one bottle of water to freshen up and return to the lobby to discuss next steps. Our options boil down to two: return to the airport and hope its open, or drive to La Paz and hope it is in better shape than Cabo. The amount of gas in our car only allows us to choose one option, not both. A Mexican pregnant woman and her husband who we have gotten to know over the last few days say they will join with us if we drive to La Paz.
By 5 a.m. Wednesday, having had virtually no sleep due to the stress of the situation, I decide we are getting out of Cabo and going to La Paz. We meet our travelling companions at 6 a.m., pack our car and by 7 a.m. are on the road to La Paz.
Despite our elation of leaving Cabo we have one tiny problem – is there enough gas to make it all the way to La Paz. We travel sometimes in silence hoping the gas lasts, other times we gregariously talk about the potential of getting out from the La Paz airport. Just when we least expect it, something happens to confound all the chaos and uncertainty of the past few days. There it is – a gas station about 50 kilometers out of La Paz, open and selling gas! With the tank filled we get back on the road and promptly get a flat tire. A Good Samaritan stops and helps us change the tire. There are still good men in the world.
At the La Paz airport, there are at least 2,000 people milling around, some in lines, others just looking bewildered. The crowd is not allowed in the airport and is forced to wait outside in the 90 degree heat. Periodically, airport personnel from Mexico’s national airlines come out and take the names of Mexicans. Mexican nationals are getting evacuated first, then women and children, then the elderly and last the healthy men. Within 30 minutes our travelling companions have the good fortune to be put on a flight to their home in Guadalajara.
Scott and I are not so fortunate. We wait and wait. No information and no planes. Finally, the U.S. Embassy personnel arrive and tell us we will be sleeping in the airport tonight.
Scott and I decide to drive into downtown La Paz to find a hotel. We find one on the bay, with beautiful views, running water and electricity. Nirvana – and its Scott’s birthday. One catch, no air conditioning because the hotel is conserving power.
After a long wait, we check in and take a shower. Then we have a nice dinner. Both a birthday present Scott will never forget.
As we end the fourth day of our Hurricane Odile ordeal, we decide to just stay and relax for a few days. Scott and I will simply go home on Sunday when we have a confirmed flight to Tijuana. One small problem: another hurricane is developing and is on its way toward Cabo and La Paz.
Thursday morning, Scott wakes up and wants to go home. Advised by the U.S. Embassy to get to an airport now that we have Internet access, we return to the La Paz airport and are fortunate enough to get on a flight to Tijuana.
On arrival at Tijuana we are escorted across the border and an MTA bus arranged by the U.S. Embassy is waiting to take us to San Diego airport. We are home!
In the end, what did we learn? Mother Nature can be a bitch. She wins every fight. More importantly, Scott and I love each other. Living through a disaster together puts incredible stress on a relationship. Sort of like the Amazing Race on steroids. We survived. We survived with a new appreciation for what really matters in life; food, water, shelter and the love of someone who hated you for the last five days.
Good story! We were there the week before during Norbert and I decided then that the last thing I would ever want was to go on vacation and be stuck without the great things I take for granted at home. AC, cold beer, restaurants and cable TV, not to mention running water and fresh water. Glad you made it home Ok and good wishes to the people of Cabo.