Hurricane Odile hits Cabo, East Cape and La Paz

Odile hit Cabo San Lucas, the East Cape and La Paz last night.They say its the biggest hurricane that's ever hit land there 
I have a lot of friends there and am praying for their safety. 


http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/09/15/hurricane-odile-landfall/15653375/


CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Residents and tourists hunkered down in shelters and hotel conference rooms overnight as a powerful and sprawling Hurricane Odile made landfall on the southern Baja California peninsula.

The area is home to gleaming megaresorts, tiny fishing communities and low-lying neighborhoods of flimsy homes. Forecasters predicted a dangerous storm surge with large waves as well as drenching rains capable of causing landslides and flash floods.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said satellite imagery indicates Odile's center made landfall at about 9:45 p.m. PDT near Cabo San Lucas. It said at landfall, Odile had estimated intensity of 125 mph, and an automated station near Cabo San Lucas reported a sustained wind of 89 mph with a gust to 116 mph. The storm was moving north-northwest at 17 mph.

STORM TRACKER: Track the projected path of Hurricane Odile

Though winds from Odile will diminish over the next day or so, remnants of a weakening Odile and another weather system could combine to bring more heavy rain to the Southwest later in the week.

Cities that could be affected by the heavy, flooding thunderstorms include Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson, Las Vegas, and eventually Salt Lake City, AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada reports.

Flash flooding should be anticipated with thunderstorms that develop as the abundance of tropical moisture allows storms to dump 1 to 2 inches of rain in under an hour.

"It is hard to say if the effects of this storm will be as bad as Hurricane Norbert," the National Weather Service in Tucson posted on Twitter.

In Cabo, as howling winds whipped palm trees amid pelting rain outside, people bedded down and used magazines to fan themselves in crowded, stuffy safe rooms. Some did crossword puzzles or listened to iPhones. In one hotel near San Jose del Cabo, power went out not long after nightfall and a generator was keeping minimal lights on.

Denise Mellor, a traveler from Orange County, California, was frustrated about a lack of information about the storm and said she was learning more from her daughter back home than from hotel workers.

"It's a little bit (unsettling) that we don't have a choice but to sit in here and hope for the best," Mellor said. "So that makes me a little bit scared."

Mexican authorities evacuated coastal areas and readied shelters for up to 30,000 people.

"We are going to be hit, do not risk your life," warned Marcos Covarrubias, governor of Baja California Sur.

After reaching Category 4 strength on Sunday, Odile weakened some to Category 3 but was still a major storm. The U.S. hurricane center warned of possible coastal flooding and rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated amounts up to 15 inches.

On Sunday, police with megaphones walked through vulnerable areas in Cabo San Lucas urging people to evacuate.

"I'm leaving. It's very dangerous here," said Felipa Flores, clutching a plastic bag with a few belongings as she took her two small children from her neighborhood of El Caribe to a storm shelter. "Later on we're going to be cut off and my house of wood and laminated cardboard won't stand up to much."

At least 22 airline flights were canceled. Some tourists camped out at the Los Cabos international airport hoping to get out before the storm, but the facility shut down all air operations late in the afternoon.

Luis Felipe Puente, national coordinator for Mexico's civil protection agency, said 164 shelters had been prepared for as many as 30,000 people in Baja California Sur.

A hurricane warning was in effect from Punta Abreojos to Loreto. Mexican authorities declared a maximum alert for areas in or near Odile's path, and ports in Baja California were ordered closed.

Hurricane Odile's rampage up Mexico's Baja peninsula continues what has been a ferocious hurricane season in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Odile is the 10th hurricane in the Pacific so far this year. This compares to a rather quiet season in the Atlantic, where only four hurricanes have formed.

Eastern Pacific hurricanes seldom impact the USA, but rains from the remnants of Hurricane Norbert swamped Phoenix last week with record rainfall.

In the central Atlantic, Hurricane Edouard had sustained winds near 85 mph, although it was forecast to remain far out at sea and pose no threat to land.

The hurricane center said Edouard's center was 835 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and was moving northwest at 15 mph

Contributing: Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Whoa, that would ruin a fishing trip!

That's not good, people are going to die with that one…

  wow…  wishing the best for Baja Sur….

There is a lot of damage. Been calling my best friend that is a local there but his cell just goes to voicemail.

The article below states that there was a fire at the resort that I've been going to for the past 25 years 

They will rebuild the resort. I'm more concerned about all my friends and locals there.



Hurricane Odile slams Mexico's Baja California

Posted: Sep 15, 2014 7:20 AM PDT
Updated: Sep 15, 2014 9:32 AM PDT
 
 
By ALBA MORA ROCA and IGNACIO MARTINEZ
Associated Press
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) - Hurricane Odile hammered Mexico's Baja California Peninsula overnight, damaging homes and tearing away the facades of luxury resorts, shattering countless car and hotel windows and leaving lobbies swamped and full of debris on Monday.

The storm, which made landfall near Cabo San Lucas the previous night as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, toppled trees, power poles and road signs along the main highway, which at one point was swamped by rushing floodwaters. Room windows at the Hotel Westin were blown out, mud and rock blocked the entrance to the Club Regina and workers said the Hilton was seriously damaged.

"It's the entire corridor" between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, said Deneb Poli, a medical worker at the Hotel Melia Cabo Real. She said all the hotel's guests and employees were fine, but electricity and phone lines were cut and cellphone coverage was spotty. "There are parts of hotels that are completely collapsed. ... The damage is pretty extensive."

Poli said the plan for now was to stay put. By morning the rains had stopped and winds had died down, and residents and tourists emerged from shelters to assess the damage.

The newspaper Tribuna de los Cabos reported people being injured by flying glass, power lines and traffic signals down throughout the city and a fire at the Cascadas resort on Medano Beach. No details about the blaze were immediately available.

All along the highway homes and businesses were heavily damaged, many reduced to shells with only the core structure intact. The walls of an OfficeMax collapsed into the parking lot. A convenience store was ripped apart with the contents of its shelves dumped to the ground. A Comex paint shop sign was missing its "x," ripped away from the building by the gale-force winds.

Odile continued to rake the state of Baja California Sur as it marched northward with strong winds and heavy rains.

The storm had weakened somewhat but was still a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph (155 kph). It was centered about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south of Loreto and moving to the north-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).

Odile was forecast to slow down and lose intensity over the next day or so.

Besides the gleaming megaresorts, Baja California is home to tiny fishing communities and low-lying neighborhoods of flimsy homes.

Forecasters warned of a dangerous storm surge with large waves as well as drenching rains capable of causing landslides and flash floods.

Across the region, people hunkered inside overnight to ride out the storm's wrath. In one hotel near San Jose del Cabo, guests moved from a makeshift shelter into crowded basement storage areas after the boarded up windows failed.

The U.S. hurricane center warned of possible coastal flooding and rainfall of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated amounts up to 15 inches.

A hurricane warning was in effect from Punta Abreojos to Santa Rosalia.

Meanwhile in the central Atlantic, Hurricane Edouard strengthened to a Category 2 storm Monday with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph (165 kph), although it was forecast to remain far out at sea and pose no threat to land.

The U.S. hurricane center said Edouard's center was 655 miles (1,055 kilometers) east-southeast of Bermuda and was moving northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).

__

Associated Press writer Peter Orsi in Mexico City contributed.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Click here to see the path

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/15/locals-tourists-ride-out-hurricane-odile-in-baja/20962261/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D529448

It was really bad just saw some pics. the place was rocked hard.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2756609/Holidaymakers-luxury-celebrity-resort-loved-George-Clooney-forced-shelter-Mexican-peninsula-battered-125mph-Hurricane-Odile.html

I've been thru a Cat 4 Hurricane & a 7.1 Earthquake.  Though you can run from a Hurricane given the advanced notice, I'd still take an Earthquake over a Hurricane.  They are a force to be taken with great seriousness, especially oh Eastward side of its path like this one.

I still cannot get through to my friends via cell or email 

My wife is facebook friends with someone from the resort and got this notice yesterday




Hurricane Odile Update

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

As you may be aware, hurricane Odile plowed through the town of Cabo San Lucas this past Sunday night. Odile caused severe damage to the entire town; the streets are covered with debris, there is no electricity, no water, and gasoline and diesel supplies are very limited. Stores and banks are closed and there is no cash available at the ATMs.

Overall, Club Cascadas faired better than most, but there has been extensive damage:

The onsite employee team is un-hurt; however we have no information on other team members as they are unable to get to the resort due to roads being impassible.
There is no electricity, water, or telephone service.
Even though the resort has the desalinization plant to produce water, without electricity it will not operate.
There is a back-up electricity plant which produces limited electricity for a few buildings; however it operates using diesel fuel which is in short supply.
More than half of the palapa roofs on the 24 cylindrical buildings will need to be replaced.
All palm trees throughout the landscaped section of the resort have been stripped of their palm fronds.
The entire property will need to be repainted. The hurricane lifted the paint off several buildings and damaged the rest of the building surfaces.
Many windows have been broken, allowing the wind and water to enter several units. This resulted in significant damage to the furnishings, glassware, refrigerators, stoves, equipales, mirrors and beds.
Two of the Club’s vehicles suffered damage.
The Wi-Fi antennas have either been totally destroyed or are completely gone.
The windows in the Accounting office were broken and there is damage to their computer equipment, printers, copy machines, phones, and furniture.
This is only a summary of the damages. At this time, the main focus is to clean up as quickly as possible and to get back to some degree of normalcy.

It is very difficult to determine when Club Cascadas will be ready to resume operations again. At this time, we do not anticipate having the resort ready for occupancy until at least mid-October. As time progresses, we hope to be better able to pinpoint a more precise date for re-opening.

We are collecting as much information from our on-site staff as we possibly can, and we’ll do our best to get the information out to you as it becomes available. Please bear in mind that this has been a significant event, so we ask that you kindly stand by as we collect more information in the days ahead of us. Please check back with this website for further information.

Sincerely,

Trading Places International

I still cannot get through to my friends via cell or email 

My wife is facebook friends with someone from the resort and got this notice yesterday




Hurricane Odile Update

Tuesday, September 16, 2014


There is no electricity, water, or telephone service. This is probably the reason you cant get ahold of your friend.

As you may be aware, hurricane Odile plowed through the town of Cabo San Lucas this past Sunday night. Odile caused severe damage to the entire town; the streets are covered with debris, there is no electricity, no water, and gasoline and diesel supplies are very limited. Stores and banks are closed and there is no cash available at the ATMs.

Overall, Club Cascadas faired better than most, but there has been extensive damage:

The onsite employee team is un-hurt; however we have no information on other team members as they are unable to get to the resort due to roads being impassible.
There is no electricity, water, or telephone service.
Even though the resort has the desalinization plant to produce water, without electricity it will not operate.
There is a back-up electricity plant which produces limited electricity for a few buildings; however it operates using diesel fuel which is in short supply.
More than half of the palapa roofs on the 24 cylindrical buildings will need to be replaced.
All palm trees throughout the landscaped section of the resort have been stripped of their palm fronds.
The entire property will need to be repainted. The hurricane lifted the paint off several buildings and damaged the rest of the building surfaces.
Many windows have been broken, allowing the wind and water to enter several units. This resulted in significant damage to the furnishings, glassware, refrigerators, stoves, equipales, mirrors and beds.
Two of the Club’s vehicles suffered damage.
The Wi-Fi antennas have either been totally destroyed or are completely gone.
The windows in the Accounting office were broken and there is damage to their computer equipment, printers, copy machines, phones, and furniture.
This is only a summary of the damages. At this time, the main focus is to clean up as quickly as possible and to get back to some degree of normalcy.

It is very difficult to determine when Club Cascadas will be ready to resume operations again. At this time, we do not anticipate having the resort ready for occupancy until at least mid-October. As time progresses, we hope to be better able to pinpoint a more precise date for re-opening.

We are collecting as much information from our on-site staff as we possibly can, and we’ll do our best to get the information out to you as it becomes available. Please bear in mind that this has been a significant event, so we ask that you kindly stand by as we collect more information in the days ahead of us. Please check back with this website for further information.

Sincerely,

Trading Places International

Hope everyone is ok..

Hope your friends and their family are okay Antonio!  Man we stayed at that Hilton just a few months ago shown having some damage.  I can just imagine what the storm did to the small residential homes in baja.

This is horrible.
I can only hope that everyone made it out safely.
Wishing your friends the best Antonio.

Just imagine the shear magnitude of those waves crashing on the famous "El Arco" they are easily over 100 ft high.....easily 

Finally was able to get a hold of my best friend's 12 year old son Noah this morning.
His dad was out trying to get gas when I called.

They are safe and their home made it through Odile for the most part. They had a huge palapa (thatched roof) patio on stilts that was completely demolished. Luckily they had hurricane shutters put in a few years ago.

Their boats also made it through the storm as well. Which is how they earn a living providing whale watching, snorkeling and sunset (booze cruise) trips.

Noah told me that it is pretty bad there with a lot of looting and gangs breaking into homes.

It's really bad there and the economy is going to suffer dramatically since their main source of income in tourism.

Another resort update...........its worse than originally estimated 

30K Tourist stranded in Baja Sur

Hurricane Odile Update

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Reports from on-site describe significant damage to the resort. The Club’s management team are carefully photographing every villa, the pools, Jacuzzis, common areas, etc. to assist in the processing of insurance claims. Sadly, there has been looting of stores and homes are being broken into, so many workers feel the need to stay home and protect their families and belongings. Of most urgent need right now is fuel and electricity, food and water – and manpower.

It is very difficult to determine how long it will take until Club Cascadas – and the entire Los Cabos vicinity – returns to normal and begins welcoming guests and members back to the resort. On-site management estimates it could take anywhere from two to three months at this time.

A special relief fund is being established to assist our Club Cascadas "family" – the dedicated, humble, and hard-working employees who care for Cascadas as if it were their home. Please check back with your Club’s website www.clubcascadasdebaja.com within the next couple of days for more information on how you can contribute to this special fund.

Sincerely,

Trading Places International

http://www.ktvu.com/videos/news/cabo-san-lucas-bay-area-tourists-remain-stranded/vCsZRm/