It’s now almost a week since Tropical Storm Lydia hit Cabo. And there are definite signs of a speedy recovery. In parts.
Roads have all reopened and public transport is fully operational – just a lot slower due to road damage. The airport was fully functional from Sunday.
Downtown is looking good. Still pretty dusty, and still smells a bit - but all things considered, a pretty good clean-up program has been underway.
Although sales of street food are still restricted, and some restaurants - still without water- have been unable to open. Most businesses are up and running. And it’s almost “business as usual”
Due to the hard work and huge efforts put in by local staff, most hotels and resorts are operating normally. Hopefully the beaches will reopen on Thursday or Friday when water contamination levels clear.
All very positive signs of a good recovery. But that is just the downtown story. Uptown is another matter – and there are NO signs of a quick recovery here.
The neighbourhoods of Chula Vista, and Caribe Baja were particularly badly hit.
With many houses being built in the arroyos (the natural steep-sided gullies, cut over time by running water in rainy season) they are directly in line of any water. So damage has been immense.
Quite literally, hundreds of homes have been washed away. And thousands of people’s lives have been devastated. They have been left with nothing other than the clothes they stand up in.
Thankfully many local people have rallied together to provide food, water and clothing. And the Red Cross came in today with 26 tons of food and medical supplies.
But there has been no official mention of helping these people find, or build new homes. Right now most of them are right back amidst the devastation - with nowhere else to go.
A feeling that is hard for most of us to even imagine.
Stories of people being buried in the sand, or washed away in cars are not unusual. You will have read them. And we don’t need to write them again here.
Officially the current death toll is only 6, but believed to be much higher. And social networks report many people as still missing or disappeared. Exact numbers may never be known. The authorities are urging individuals to file official reports on anyone still missing.
And there you have it. Downtown. And uptown. Two very different pictures of the same place. Los Cabos.
So, while so many of us enjoy the ambience and privileges of downtown Cabo – take a moment to remember that just a couple of miles away, things are very, very different...