Thread: Hurricane Dean report - Cozumel

This thread for reports of Hurricane Deal related news from Cozumel... before, during, and after the storm.

From another board, a posting this morning from Cozumel:

Hi! Here in Cozumel we have been preparing ourselves since Thursday afternoon. After three straight days of "Wilma" those who haven't lived in the Island for long are a bit afraid; however, since "Gilbert" we learned pretty well and in the Stat of Quintana Roo our "hurricane" awareness is quite broad and very responsible. Authorities have carried out a great job; the Civil Protection Agency has been even sending warnings through mobile phones to as many people as possible. When we have seen ourselves affected by hurricanes, we all (give or take 72 thousand) try to assist the government as much as possible.

Here in Cozumel, even though since Thursday afternoon the three gas stations in the Island were full, we have been advised there is more than enough fuel and yesterday the authorities even mentioned that there are enough supplies in the Island for 10 days. The Ferry boats that link us to the mainland will leave tomorrow (the ones with the cargo) and passenger ferries will probably keep working until Sunday or early Monday morning.

Current updates from the island as of 6:00 p.m. Central Time:

· The Cozumel airport officially closed today (Aug. 20) at 6:00 p.m. CDT.

· All passenger ferry services between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen ceased operation at 6:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Aug. 19.

· Cruise ships scheduled to visit Cozumel have been re-routed, with the last cruise ship arriving to the island on Saturday, Aug 18. Cruise ships will continue to be re-routed over the next few days, and are expected to return on Thursday, Aug. 23, pending conditions from the storm.

· The majority of tourists have been evacuated from Cozumel, with 350 domestic and international travelers remaining on the island.

· Several hotel properties, including the Cozumel Palace, Iberostar Cozumel Hotel, Occidental Grand and Occidental Allegro Cozumel, have evacuated their guests to sister properties located on Mexico’s mainland.

· Travelers remaining in Cozumel will be staying at hotels that have been officially designated as safety shelters and are equipped with necessary supplies for the storm.

Cozumel Prepared for Dean
COZUMEL, MEXICO Prepared for Hurricane Dean

COZUMEL, Mexico (Aug. 20, 2007) – As forecasted by the National Weather Service, Hurricane Dean is expected to move through Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday morning (Aug. 21). While no longer projected to be in the direct path of Hurricane Dean, Cozumel expects tropical storm conditions and has instituted several hurricane preparedness initiatives in compliance with government safety and planning guidelines to ensure the safety of the community and travelers.

According to Raul Marrufo, Director of the Cozumel Tourism Promotion Board, the island is fully prepared for the storm. “The safety of the local community and tourists visiting the destination is our utmost priority,” says Maruffo. “We were able to evacuate the majority of tourists from the island with the help of our air partners including Air Canada, Delta, American Airlines and Continental Airlines, who arranged flights just to bring travelers back home.”

Current updates from the island as of 6:00 p.m. Central Time:

· The Cozumel airport officially closed today (Aug. 20) at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
· All passenger ferry services between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen ceased operation at 6:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Aug. 19.
· Cruise ships scheduled to visit Cozumel have been re-routed, with the last cruise ship arriving to the island on Saturday, Aug 18. Cruise ships will continue to be re-routed over the next few days, and are expected to return on Thursday, Aug. 23, pending conditions from the storm.
· The majority of tourists have been evacuated from Cozumel, with 350 domestic and international travelers remaining on the island.
· Several hotel properties, including the Cozumel Palace, Iberostar Cozumel Hotel, Occidental Grand and Occidental Allegro Cozumel, have evacuated their guests to sister properties located on Mexico’s mainland.
· Travelers remaining in Cozumel will be staying at hotels that have been officially designated as safety shelters and are equipped with necessary supplies for the storm.

August 21, 2007, 8:30am local time


Cozumel survived the night with only some heavy TS force winds and rain. We lost power at 4:15am, but power loss is not island wide. From my upstairs balcony, I could still see lights in centro and along the waterfront even. I’m updating from a dial-up connection and battery power on my laptop.

From where I am, I see no evidence of downed power lines, trees, or anything serious…just a lot of debris in the streets. Of course, the other side of the island and the waterfront areas may have a tad bit more damage…when I can get out, I’ll report back on the rest of the island. We dodged a big one though!


My significant other and I spent a good portion of the evening on the phone with his family in Chetumal, and we have yet to reach or hear anything from his other sister who is in Valle Hermoso, which is not far inland from Mahajual and Felipe Carillo Puerto where the eye made direct landfall. As of this writing, the southern eye wall is just passing through, so they have several more hours of intense winds. This is their first hurricane in approximately 30 years, and they’re paying heavily. Just like we did during Wilma, they’ve been fighting to keep the water out of the house all night and are terrified and exhausted. I’ll give a status report when we next talk to our family in Chetumal

Cozumel has seen the worst that we’re going to see of Mean Dean…now we can only pray for those who remain in his path

AND ADDED, ON A SUBSEQUENT POST:
Correction/clarification to my last update. Chetumal did take a direct hit and Valle Hermoso is JUST north of where the collapsing eye is passing now.

Thank you for the updates. We stayed up late last night watching the reports.

We were just in Costa Maya (Chac-Chi) on Monday (August 13th).

So glad to hear that Cozumel missed this one.

We are headed back to both in December. I know Cozumel will be up and running and hope Costa Maya will as well by then!!!

Port of Cozumel back in business!

A Carnival ship will call at Cozumel on Thursday (tomorrrow,) according to a company spokesman.

Cozumel Set to Welcome Back Cruise Passengers
Published on: August 24, 2007
Cozumel tourism officials are prepared to welcome cruise passengers as usual since the island's piers sustained no damage from Hurricane Dean. The Punta Langosta Pier and SSA International Pier continued operations on Thursday as two Carnival Cruise Lines ships were the first to return to the island after Dean. In addition, Cozumel officials expect three cruise ships today, Aug. 24, including two from Carnival and one from Royal Caribbean International. "We are prepared to support additional cruise needs to the region if necessary to relieve other ports of call in the Yucatan Peninsula," said Raul Marrufo, director of the Cozumel Tourism Promotion Board, in an apparent reference to significant damage at Puerto Costa Maya.

FROM: Top Stories & Trends - Cozumel Set to Welcome Back Cruise Passengers