Good Factual report from on the ground in Cabo. According to official estimates: Los Cabos Intl Airport (SJD) Reopen: September 27 Cabo San Lucas Airport (CSL) Reopen: October 10* Power Restored: 45% Water Restored: Monday or Tuesday (Already Mostly Restored) Phone Restored: Completed Internet Restored: Completed Garbage Pick-Up: Resumed Most Hotels Reopening: October 1 through October 15 Bisbees Fishing Tournament: On as Scheduled for October 17 * The CSL Airport reports on their Facebook page that they have been operating normally (days only) since September 17. The Local Take GOOD NEWS things are coming back together faster than we ever thought possible. A few neighborhoods have power, gas stations are open and without queues. Banks will open Monday. The army are doing a sensational job of cleaning up and getting food and water to people in need, though not all areas have been taken care of yet. Community kitchens have opened up in several areas. - Pisces Sportfishing 9/20/14 Evacuation Update Within 36 hours of the storm, the Los Cabos Airport was back in operation for non-commercial flights. The military, later joined by commercial airlines from the USA, Canada and Mexico, began evacuating the remaining tourists on Tuesday, September 16. All tourists that want to be evacuated are now on their way home. Some (bless their hearts) are staying behind to help and show support. Tuesday Sept. 16: 5,000 Wednesday Sept. 17: 6,000 Thursday, Sept. 18: 8,000 Friday, Sept. 19: 8,000 Saturday, Sept. 20: The Remainder Airport Update The Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) did not suffer any infrastructure damage, but there was damage to the terminals and to the control tower. The airport was open for about a week for humanitarian flights, but now closed again to focus on repair. It is projected to open again for normal traffic by approximately September 26, 2014. The smaller Cabo San Lucas Airport did not suffer damage to the runways and has been operating normally since September 17, but days only at this time. Utility Update Nearly 1,000 workers are working feverishly to restore power and water to the Los Cabos area. At this time, 85% of the power in Northern Baja California Sur has been restored, and about 80% of the power in La Paz. The power in Los Cabos is more challenging as about 800 power poles need to be reset. Early estimates of 2-3 weeks seem to have been overstated, as power has already been restored to 45% of Los Cabos. Telmex has restored telecommunications (telephone, internet) to 100% of the area and no more lines at the gas stations. Some water has been restored to Cabo - about 40% of normal capacity. They are testing the desalination plant and expect full water recovery this week. A very welcome thing indeed. Security Update After a couple of days of much publicized looting of stores, official sources and reports from the ground agree that things are now under control and the over 1000 military units are now keeping the peace. The government says that rumors of a jailbreak were not true. Business Update Baja Cantina Marina, Mango Cantina, La Davina and Cabo Cantina are open for business with food and cold drinks available. Reports are that Solomons Landing, Mango Deck, Cabo Blue and Captain Tonys will be reopen again probably tomorrow. Many other restuarants will remain closed until the tourists return since all of their clientele was tourists. Beach vendors have been being spotted again. 6 bank branches have reopened, and 3 ATMs. Several gas stations are open, and 6 of the areas 19 grocery and department stores have reopened, including Wal-Mart. Some Cabo San Lucas fishing charters are reporting they are ready to go fishing. The East Cape area was largely unaffected and those businesses are running as normal. La Paz is also largely back to normal operations. Humanitarian Update Hundreds of tons of food and water have arrived to the area by land and sea and are being distributed to those in need. The Mexican Red Cross is leading the efforts together with the military and collection stations have been set up throughout Mexico for goods. However there are thousands of homeless people in the colonies after the storm, and so many more who have lost so much that it will take much time to rebuild their lives. The local relief organizations are badly in need of funds to assist the families they represent. You can make a donation directly to the Mexican Red Cross through their website or by using a registered US based foundation such as the International Community Foundation who works together with the local relief agencies in Baja California Sur. International Community Foundation - $21,295.00 in 5 Days Sarahuaro Community - $19.635.00 in 5 Days Bisbees Hurricane Relief - $40,000.00 in 4 Days + $250k from Bisbees There are many other unofficial organizations collecting funds as well, which is great. But we recommend officially recognized organizations. How Else You Can Help While the tourist infrastructure may be up and going strong by October, the humanitarian needs of the local people will be high for much longer. The needs of the local people are great, and without income it will be very difficult for them to recover. As soon as Cabo is ready to welcome you again, there is perhaps no better way to contribute to the recovery than with your tourist dollars. Every margarita you drink or taco you eat gives a hotel or restaurant worker a job, who then uses that money to buy things at the store, giving the store employee a job and money to spend to buy things at another store, and so on. The impact is felt through this small community in so many ways. Cabo needs you, especially in this already low season. We hope to see you in October when the resorts and town are ready to host you. Impact on Your Tours All tours are cancelled for now, and probably will remain so until at least after the airport reopens. We hope to have the chance to serve you later this year here in Cabo, but if you will be changing your vacation plans to another location in Mexico, we would love to have you join us for some fun in one of our other locations such as Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cancun, Cozumel or Playa del Carmen. Hotel Damage & Reopening Updates Many hotels in Cabo fared pretty well during the storm, reporting only minor damage. However, they still have some clean-up to do which will keep most resorts closed until about October 1st. By this time many resorts predict that they will open, and many more by October 15. A few were heavily damaged and will remain closed until October 31 or longer. Here is a list of the official estimates we have received so far: Bahia Hotel - Only minimal damage. October 30 or sooner. Barcelo Grand Faro - Still Assessing. Tentatively September 22 Cabo Azul - December Cabo Pulmo Resort - Minimal damage. Operational. Cabo Villas - Minimal damage. September 27 Capella Pedral - October 1 Casa Dorada - October 9 Club Cascadas - October 15 Club Regina - October 31 Dreams Los Cabos - Sustained cosmetic damages and substantial debris, yet no serious structural damages. October 15. East Cape Resorts - Very minor damage, fully operational. Out fishing. East Cape RV - Only three trees down and no major damage to trailers or palapas, and no damage to boats. Esperanza - October 13 Fiesta Americana Los Cabos - November 15 for a big group, then November 23 for individual reservations. Finisterra - Tentative date of October 1. Grand Mayan Los Cabos - Significant damage, including windows blown out. Closed for approximately 2 months. Grand Solmar - October 22 Hacienda Beach Club - October 15 Hacienda del Mar - October 31 Hacienda Encantada - October 15 Hilton Los Cabos - Still Assessing. Significant damage. Holiday Inn - At Least November 1 Hotel Los Pescadores - Closed for a week or so for personal reasons and waiting for airport to open. Hyatt Place - October 17 Hyatt Ziva - October 17 Las Ventanas - Assessing damage. Will update on Sept 22. Los Barrilles - Very minor damage. Fully operational. Los Cabos Golf Resort - No serious damage, just cosmetic. Closed for 2 weeks for clean-up. Marina Fiesta - October 15 ME Cabo - October 16 Melia Real - October 15 One & Only Palmilla - October 15 Playa Grande - October 22 Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos - No structural damage, just cleanup. October 1 Pueblo Bonito Montecristo Estates - No structural damage, just cleanup. October 1 Pueblo Bonito Rose - No structural damage, just cleanup. October 1 Pueblo Bonito Pacifica - No structural damage, just cleanup. October 1 Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach - No structural damage, just cleanup. October 1 Quinta del Sol - October 22 Rancho Leonoro - Minimal damage. Fully operational. Out fishing. Riu Palace - Unofficially saying they expect to be open in 2 weeks. No official word yet. Riu Santa Fe - Significant damage. No assessment yet. Royal Decameron - October 17 Royal Solaris - October 10 Secrets Marquis - Sustained cosmetic damages and substantial debris, yet no serious structural damages. October 15. Secrets Puerto Los Cabos - Cosmetic damage and debris, no structural damage. October 15. Sheraton - Significant damage. Closed until at least October 31. Solmar - October 22 Villa del Arco - Minimal damage. October 1 Villa del Palmar - Minimal damage. October 1 Villa La Estancia - Minimal damage. October 1 Westin - Significant damage. Windows blew out. Closed until at least October 31. Worldmark Coral Baja - January 31 Wyndham - Unaffected. Just basic clean-up to do of pools and grounds. October 1. Zoetry - Cosmetic damage and debris, no structural damage. October 15. Our Recommendations Currently, Cabo is not ready for touristic arrivals. There is a lot of work to do. If you have vacation plans during this next week or so, you will want to contact your hotel and airline and change your dates to at least October and at least until after the power has been restored for several days. In October, there will still be work going on in Cabo, but as long as your resort is open for business, there will still be plenty to enjoy. The tourist infrastructure always comes back quicker than the local areas, and Mexico is one of the worlds best at this. You will truly be surprised to see how quickly Cabo is restored, given the severity of the hit. The beaches, the sunshine, the pool, the food, and the margaritas will all be here. The marina is reportedly without structural damage and most boats were unharmed. As soon as the power is back on, people will start opening for business, no matter how unlikely that might seem during these first few days. And of course, the local business people really need economic support in these early days. If you only want to come to Cabo if it is 100% back to pre-Odile condition however, then plan to come this high season. The government predicts sometime in December or January that Cabo will be fully back. Marco Ehrenberg
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 04:45:10 +0000
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