A READER < FROM MEXICO > COMMENT ON HURRICANE EMILY!!!

Hi: i guess it is our turn now. this is projected to be right on top of
us, and the cone of probable landfall is getting smaller and smaller. and
centered on us.

So we are now officially getting propared to cover our asses!!


We have food and water, cat food and kitty litter, enough plastic to cover the
building, and hammocks to sleep in.

There is no official word on evacuation yet, but we have no idea if the government here does that sort of thing.

They do in cancun and on the coast on that side, but mostly because of the tourists.

We have notified the reservations that the deposits will be cheerfully refunded
!?!):( or the dates changed.

I have 6 cases of beer, 2 bottles of brandy, one of kahlua, rum and enough pepsi to keep me in mixer for a month.

We expect to be without power for 3 to 5 days, the only power generating
station in the yucatan is in the direct path of the storm. and the wires on the
building have not been refastened yet.

Something about getting ready for a storm, we are too low on the priority list. after the storm we go to the head of the list because we are a hotel.

We had practice last year so we know what to do for the building, and the boys
we hired last year are happy to do it again this year. they are of the belief
that since we did all this work last year and nothing happened, then
this year will be the same.

I hope they are right, but i am not betting on it!!

The paper is comparing this storm to hurricane gilberto, from 1988.

That was the storm that wiped out the entire north coast of the yucatan.

Keep your fingers crossed that this does not happen again. of course, we now have
the concrete malecon wall, and the buildings are now mostly brick, and we
have much better warning than existed then. i will be taking a pile of pictures
before during and after the storm, but will probably not be able to post them
for a few days. there is a satellite computer connection in a rental house
down the street, so we might get lucky and use that, if the antenna dish stays
on its foundation. we will see.

I have an inverter and vehicles to charge batteries, so i will have power for the computers.

Stay tuned, this is going to be fun!!!!

love david