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Hurricane Emily Shortens VIDAS Clinic
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For the first time, a VIDAS clinic was cut short due to Mother Nature. We all tracked Emily as she pounded across the Caribbean, growing from Tropical Storm Emily to full blown Category 5 Hurricane Emily headed in a straight line for Playa del Carmen. We all hoped that she would veer away and subside, but after hearing about her trail of devastation over Jamaica and seeing the projected path continuing to travel directly over us, it started sinking in: maybe we wouldn’t be so lucky. The reports started coming in: they’re evacuating over 50,000 tourists from the hotels in Cancun and Cozumel – taking them in buses inland to hurricane shelters; everything around town is closing to board up windows and doors; the grocery stores are being emptied; evacuations all along the Riviera Maya coast has started; the airport has started evacuation procedures – only empty planes are coming in so that they can fill them and get people out. No-one knew exactly where and how hard Emily would strike, but a strike was now imminent.
As I looked around the quiet streets of Nicte-Ha, I was suddenly scared. Not for my safety, but for the people living in the rows of houses around me. This was the quiet before the storm. The houses, many with corrugated metal or flimsy palapa roofing would be no match for Emily’s furious 150 mph winds. I was afraid for the people of the area who may soon be living without homes, without water, without normalcy in their lives. I wondered how they were preparing, physically and emotionally, for Emily. My thoughts turned to my crew. Our friends and families were also tracking this storm and were worried about us. We decided to close up the clinic and work on getting home. We got lucky and with the help of friends and family back in the states were able to make arrangements to get all but 3 of us home early, with the last leaving one hour before the airport closed. The three of us left would have to ride it out.
As the sky began to darken on Sunday morning, we decided to drive to Villadolid, about 100 miles inland, where there were shelters available for visiting tourists. We drove off with an uneasy feeling– we were leaving our friends and the people of Playa behind – they were braver than us. Watching from the safety of our inland hotel in Villadolid that night, the winds were still impressive. Trees were stripped, buildings damaged, signs downed. We drove back the next morning to Playa, unsure and apprehensive about what we would find there. Luckily, there were no deaths and minimal injuries reported. The city had prepared well and taken good care of it’s citizens. But, the devastation was breathtaking. Emily’s fury was seemingly directed at structures and trees – the streets were covered with branches, downed signs, downed power lines. At the last minute, Emily had turned slightly south and had hit hardest just south of Playa del Carmen at Akumal. VIDAS knows Akumal well, as we have held clinics there in the past and have many friends there. Driving down the highway toward Tulum, I was overwhelmed by the devastation and sheer power Emily displayed by flattening highway signs and billboards, stripping the jungle bare in places, bending the huge communication tower in half. I was also surprised and pleased to see that a number of the small shops and houses along the road and in Akumal survived fairly well and although people were busy cleaning up debris, they all seemed in good spirits and getting back to life as usual. We went back to the neighborhood of Nicte-ha to see our friends there. There was visible damage to houses, cars, walls and buildings, but the devastation I had feared earlier was absent on the faces of the people. Families recognized us from the clinic and came into the street to visit with us – all smiling and cheerful, as they were before Emily. We found our special “Mama” dog who gave us her unique smile greeting, which melted our hearts, as usual.
I left for home with a new-found respect for Mexico. I was humbled by the bravery and resilience of the people. With everything to lose, they stood up to Emily and held on. She would not erase their beautiful smiles and joy for living. I know that many people who live in the path of hurricanes, are not as fortunate as we were this time around. My heart goes out to all those who suffer losses due to these powerful storms. Although Mother Nature is not always kind, her power is indisputable.
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