Somebody once said “Be careful what you wish for” and this
week we almost had a visitor to Loreto that would have likely proved the truth
in that saying, because for some time I have secretly wanted to be here in the
Baja during an “extreme weather event”.
Hurricane Paul had been brewing in the Eastern Pacific since
last weekend and made landfall Tuesday on the west coast of the peninsula about
halfway between Loreto and Cabo San Lucas as a Category 1 storm. Here in Loreto we had steady rain all day
Monday, through the night, and most of the day Tuesday, with gusting winds and
“bands” of heavier rain increasing in frequency through the morning, peaking
between noon and around 3:00 pm when apparently Paul veered west back into the
Pacific and the storm intensity gradually decreased through the rest of the
afternoon and early evening.
Because this storm was approaching from the west, there was
significantly more rainfall further west from where we are located here on the
east coast of the peninsula, and a lot of that rain fell in the Sierra de la
Gigante mountain range. The runoff from this rain collected in the arroyos that
channeled it to the Sea of Cortez here on the coast and so we experienced a much
more serious flooding impact than would have been the case normally from the
approximately 4 inches of rain that fell here locally.
This accumulated runoff caused some washouts and bridge
damage in a number of places on the highway north and south of here and the
road to town was under water in several places Tuesday afternoon. In Loreto itself, the usually dry arroyo that
splits the town and borders the location of the Sunday Market, was turned into
a thunderous flood that almost crested the levies protecting the town. (Check out this brief video clip taken at the
height of the storm that appeared on youtube the next day!)
While here in Loreto Bay we were not affected so
dramatically, flooded streets and a number of trees and large shrubs blown over
during the storm, although I think most of these had been planted recently and
had not yet established their roots. However,
many homes in the development had varying amounts of water “incursions”, due in
most cases I expect, to the fact that the exterior of the homes have become
almost saturated from the record making accumulation of rain this Fall.
In my home I had several pots and pans strategically placed
to catch some steady drips and there were a few damp spots on walls and
ceilings – nothing serious thankfully, but unusual all the same, given that it
has been almost 3 years since we have had significant amounts of rainfall
here.
All’s well that ends well and we’ll chalk up Paul to a near
miss – but I now have a better appreciation of the potential impact of this
class of storm. Given the earlier
projections that Paul would be at his closest approach to Loreto around 8:00
pm, and the volumes of wind and rain that we were experiencing mid-afternoon,
it is sobering to consider what conditions would have been like if things had
got progressively worse over another 4 or 5 hours with considerably more rain
and stronger winds!
As it was, after a day or so to allow the accumulated water
to drain and evaporate, things around here quickly returned to seasonal normal
(i.e. perfect!) but the long term legacy of Paul will be months of repair and
reconstruction on the bridges and roadways that were damaged during the storm. I have written before about the major
infrastructure improvements that have been undertaken on the Highway connecting
Tijuana and Los Cabos over the past 4 or 5 years, mainly the completion of many
new bridges over the arroyos that channel flood waters during these infrequent
major storms. But the events this week
are a reminder of how quickly years of work and millions of pesos can be wiped
out by a sudden deluge of water. The
good news is the road was reopened with detours around the damaged spots within
a day or two and the north/south traffic flow was getting back to normal.
At the end of this week there was a special event held at La
Mission Hotel in town, the Fifth Anniversary fundraising dinner for Eco-Alianza
de Loreto, a local environmental advocacy group, to support Environmental
Education programs for Loreto youth.
This was quite a gala affair, by Loreto standards, tickets for the
evening (which included a donation for the group) sold out in advance and there
was an extensive silent auction, raffle tickets for a return trip for two
between LAX and Loreto courtesy of Alaska Airlines and the evening concluded
with a live auction of some spectacular experiences contributed by local
supporters of this active organization.
I
joined several other Homeowners and we headed into town to the beautiful La Mision
property located on the Malecon waterfront in Loreto. The Malecon has been undergoing a major
upgrade including utilities and paving this year and while this work is still ongoing
along most of length of the street, fortunately it has been completed in front
of the Hotel improving access for the large crowd that had already arrived
before we got there (after finding the last parking spot nearby, due to all the
construction).
The
event was held on the mezzanine level where the Dining Room and Lounge form a “horseshoe”
around the atrium of the main floor lobby.
Large dining tables filled the regular restaurant area and Lounge and two
adjoining balcony patios where there was outdoor seating on what was a perfect
calm and balmy evening, like so many we enjoy here during the “winter” season.
This
entire mezzanine area was crowded with what must have been a couple of hundred
Guests mingling and socializing over drinks for a couple of hours before the
dinner, many of whom had just recently returned from spending the summer in the
north and were catching up with their friends and acquaintances. I was impressed with the extent and quality
of the many silent auction items, most of which attracted multiple bids during
the course of the evening. There were
arts and crafts, jewelry, décor items, among many other unique and interesting
items.
When
the meal was served, the restaurant staff of the Hotel did an impressive job of
handling this capacity crowd and the Caesar salad, followed by chicken cordon
blue with creamy mashed potatoes and garnish of freshly sautéed vegetables and
desert was well presented and tasted delicious.
After the meal there was a lively auction of several exceptional “prizes”
including an outing on a 52’ yacht, an air tour of the area surrounding Loreto
in a private plane, and a two night get-away for up to 6 couples at a private oceanfront
mansion that was a Spanish Marquesa´s former residence, amongst other once in
a lifetime experiences.
I
encourage you to learn more about the extensive programs undertaken by Eco-Alianza,
their very professional website can be found at: http://www.ecoalianzaloreto.org and
be sure to check out the impressive photo gallery you will find there, along
with detailed information about the work they do in and around Loreto,
protecting the pristine and beautiful surroundings that have lured so many of
us here! And if you were unable to
support these good works by attending the Fifth Anniversary Gala, you can always
make your contribution on line through the website.
So this week I saw the awesome potential power of nature
with the near-miss of Hurricane Paul and how our environment can be so impacted
over a brief 48 hour period. And then I participated
in an impressive fundraising celebration that our community contributed generously
to, supporting the good works of one of the most important local organizations dedicated
to preserving and protecting that same environment – a fitting conclusion to a
memorable week, when you are “Living Loreto”.
