A wee bit of good news, maybe?

[TheRedHead]

I may have spoken too soon. The eye appears to be moving north now, which is bringing the southern eyewall ashore on the south end. If it continues in that direction, it can be very bad for the hotel zone. This really sucks. Pardon my French, but if I were to type what I am really feeling, my keyboard might melt.

It looks like Wilma is grinding over Cozumel and the predictions from reliable sources like Joe B. [stupid censor won't let me type his name] at accuweather.com are dire:

"Tropics: Wilma spends 48 hours near or over Yucatan and becomes the worst storm ever damage-wise. Basically, it's the Yucatan's Katrina."

Other forecasters are using terms such as "catastrophic," "years to recover," "devastating."

I'm generally an optomist, but watching the coverage including the video from Cancun is breaking my heart. I just don't see how the Emily scenario of back in business in 48 hours can realistically be hoped for.

So many Cozumel residents live in subpar housing - the poorest in shacks, really - and I don't expect their homes will be standing when Wilma finally crawls away.

What can we do to help?

 

[Missdirected]

Some Good Photos Here From Cancun: http://stormcarib.com/reports/2005/mexico.shtml

Those pictures are scary amazing.

 

[ggunn]

I am speechless. Here it is nearly 2 AM on Saturday morning, and Cozumel is STILL being pounded and it's nowhere near over for them. What I was apprehensive about a few hours ago has come to pass. From what I can tell from looking at sat photos, it looks like Wilma took a bit of a jog to the right and slowly dragged the southern eyewall up the whole length of the island, sweeping the entire western shoreline from south to north with hours of 100+ mph directly onshore wind. This could be really bad.
@#$%#$%@*&^#%$^@@!@%@@@^^&^&%@#$@%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know what I mean.

 

[Martha]

I am speechless. Here it is nearly 2 AM on Saturday morning, and Cozumel is STILL being pounded and it's nowhere near over for them. What I was apprehensive about a few hours ago has come to pass. From what I can tell from looking at sat photos, it looks like Wilma took a bit of a jog to the right and slowly dragged the southern eyewall up the whole length of the island, sweeping the entire western shoreline from south to north with hours of 100+ mph directly onshore wind. This could be really bad.
@#$%#$%@*&^#%$^@@!@%@@@^^&^&%@#$@%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You know what I mean.

I know what you mean. It's really heartbreaking!

 

[Fin59]

CNN has this on their website this morning:
New Jersey resident Michael Attardi said he and his father-in-law were among as many as 100 Americans holed up at Hotel Cozumel. Winds were breaking windows in the lobby and sending water into the hotel, about 60 yards from the ocean.
"We have the children and the women in a separate bunker," he said. "The men are here, all trying to just keeping the actual water out of the area here."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/10/22/wilma/index.html

(If CNN has the Hotel right) For those who don't know...... Hotel Cozumel is located across the street from the ocean and Scuba Club. Is this damn thing ever going to end? It's just sitting on top of them. Going to Cozumel feels like coming home to most of us. We are scheduled to go next Saturday and yes, we want to dive, but now it seems like the main reason to go is to help and make sure the place and people we love are ok. I know all of us here on Scubaboard will be helping out however we can when this is over.

 

[D_B]

...RELENTLESS HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS CONTINUE OVER
NORTHEASTERN YUCATAN...
...EYE LOCATED JUST INLAND BETWEEN CANCUN AND COZUMEL...

Cr*p , How long can this go on ??? Looks like It's going to spend the rest of the day there on the tip ... http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/145344.shtml?3day?large
... the rest of the info ... http://www.stormtracker.noaa.gov/stormtracker-wilma.htm

My Prayers are with those folks and to those in Florida

DB

 

[jimisurf]

Some up to date information coming out of the area on this site www.can****ravelonline.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=17&sid=9da75c002cb6369b1e3281b82d184a2c Jimi

 

[jimisurf]

Posted on the Can****ravelonlone.com (that's Cancun Travel Online .com website, but it becomes edited automatically when I save it)
website a few moments ago:

Just finishing translation of a short briefing issued by Governor of Quintana Roo about Cozumel.

COZUMEL Q.ROO

"The first point of impact in Quintana Roo and for that matter Mexico was the Island Of Cozumel located off the coast of Quintana Roo near the resort destination of Playa Del Carmen. "Wilma" came across Cozumel as a Category 4 Hurricane causing massive devestation according to preliminary information I am receiving"

"The Civil Protection from Quintana Roo is reporting that the winds took down and caused severe damage to houses and businesses including those that had protection and re-inforcement against Hurricanes."

Additionally Signs, posts, electrical poles were blown away and some vehicles were overturned and swept away as well.

The Principal streets and avenues are flooded with waters of 4 to 5 feet and there are dozens of boats with damage. There was also a that washed almost a mile of highway into the ocean on the "backend of the Island"

As of right now officials in Cozumel have not reported any serious injuries nor deaths.

Jimi

 

[halocline]

The Principal streets and avenues are flooded with waters of 4 to 5 feet and there are dozens of boats with damage. There was also a that washed almost a mile of highway into the ocean on the "backend of the Island"

As of right now officials in Cozumel have not reported any serious injuries nor deaths.

Jimi

Ouch; I went for a bike ride out to the east side about a week after Emily (mountain bike as no traffic was allowed) and saw the washed out portions of the road. Strangely enough, a single palapa right out on the beach near the intersection of the cross island road and the east side road was still standing undamaged. Probably it's under water now. I'm really saddened by the news, but somehow the island rebounded miraculously after Emily, we can still hope for something similar here.

I also wonder what, if any, lasting damage the reefs will suffer as a result. I know salinity in the immediate area is absolutely affected by this much torrential rain, and many of the reef inhabitants, especially invertibrates like snails, corals, and crabs are really sensitive to changes in salinity. The question is, for how long will the salinity be lowered; if it's a few hours during the downpour, then the current replaces water on the reef with new seawater, that's one thing. If it's a few days, who knows. Plus, there's likely to be major sand cover and lowered clarity for a while; this affects corals' ability to photsynthesize.

Sorry if it seems insensitive to comment on this in the midst of potential catastrophic human suffering in the area; I don't mean to belittle that in any way, but I am also concerned about the reefs.

 

[ggunn]

I also wonder what, if any, lasting damage the reefs will suffer as a result. I know salinity in the immediate area is absolutely affected by this much torrential rain, and many of the reef inhabitants, especially invertibrates like snails, corals, and crabs are really sensitive to changes in salinity. The question is, for how long will the salinity be lowered; if it's a few hours during the downpour, then the current replaces water on the reef with new seawater, that's one thing. If it's a few days, who knows. Plus, there's likely to be major sand cover and lowered clarity for a while; this affects corals' ability to photsynthesize.

Sorry if it seems insensitive to comment on this in the midst of potential catastrophic human suffering in the area; I don't mean to belittle that in any way, but I am also concerned about the reefs.

That's OK; we're all part of the circle of life. There is plenty of suffering to go around.