Over the Mexican holiday weekend, Mexico found itself battered by both the Tropical Storm of Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid. The Tropical Storm of Manuel hit first on the Pacific Coast which was almost immediately followed by Hurricane Ingrid, causing widespread devastation in the east of the country. According to BBC, it was the first time since 1958 that two powerful storms hit Mexico within 24 hours.
The vacation destination of Acapulco got hit the worst with floods and landslides that shut down the highway to Mexico City. Over 40,000 tourists (most nationals from Mexico City who make the escape to Acapulco every holiday weekend) found themselves trapped as the highway is not expected to open until later this week. Hotels along the coast (Avenida Costera Miguel Alemán) were operating normally and not severely compromised but many of the outlying neighborhoods were knee-deep in water damage without power and limited food. There are hundreds of people in shelters begging for clothes and blankets because everything they have is wet; they had to leave without taking anything while watching the landslides destroy everything they owned.
Relief efforts started immediately as President Enrique Pena Nieto called for coordination of rescue and relief. The Mexican military stepped in as well AeroMexico and Interjet to provide emergency flights while the Mexican Red Cross activated all of their branches and are working closely with the Secretary of Mexican National Civil Protection. Rapid Response teams with training in search and rescue were deployed to Guerrero and they are providing first aid, assistance in evacuation, damage assessment and emotional support to those impacted. The Mexican Red Cross has opened centers with stocks of cleaning, hygiene, and relief supplies in multiple locations. If you would like to donate money, you can deposit to: Cruz Roja Mexicana, account number 0404040406, sucursal 683 of Bancomer.
Despite the fact that this is low season and that the areas most impacted are not our most popular, Journey Mexico did have guests that were affected by road closures. We monitored the situation as it developed and developed contingency plans real time to keep our guests out of harm’s way. All of Journey Mexico’s guests are safe and sound and making the best of an unexpected and challenging situation. We have now confirmed air tickets for all Journey Mexico guests for the first available flights out of the affected regions and we have a guide at their side at every moment who is keeping guests informed, modifying the plan and organizing activities according to the developing weather conditions. If you would like to assist in the relief effort with a donation of any sort, please let us know and we will do our best to assist in the process.
