Monday night
A few days ago we got word of a possible storm entering Mexico and since then it has been gaining speed and became Hurricane Dean heading straight for us. It´s going to be a cat 5- wind speed of 240 kmph, rain between 5-10 inches. The last few days everyone been making plans. The Mexicans are pretty relaxed, many of believing that it wasn't coming, even after it was pummelling Jamaica yesterday. The people have been boarding up their houses, shops and restaurants but pretty much everything stayed open until a few hours ago. We´ve been receiving hurricane text alerts form the mobile phone company from green to finally red alert meaning its less than 12 hours away. We dismantled the base and prepared the volunteers. making plans for their hurricane shelters which have changed several times, the refuges are full in Tulum, the nearest one available in Carillo Puerto which is now in the centre of the path of Dean, I heard the other volunteers had to change their refuge in Playa as there were too many drunk Mexicans and it could be dangerous for them to stay there. Its now 9pm and I´m in the dive shop, my shelter, with 4 Germans who are playing poker and drinkin beer and don´t seem very bothered by it. A TV station came earlier and interviewed the Germans. one had to pretend to be terrified of the approaching Dean which apparently was shown on MTV later, I was also interviewed, god knows where mine ended up. At the moment the air is really tranquil and nothing is happening apart from bouts of hard rain.
12am
Nothing happening at all, was police around but now just 4 Germans playing poker. It´s still 200 kms off the coast but packing 200 kmph.
Tuesday
well that was Dean , a great big nothing here, the only casualty for us was the dive flag falling in a puddle. Dean ended up hitting 3 hours south down the coast and totally destroying Mahual. GVI has a base down there, or had a base. The truck was found upside down the in the mangroves, the boat later found wrapped around a tree, the dive tanks totally vanished and the landlords house behind was only left with the steps still standing, the stray dogs all survived though. Most of the local people weren´t originally from Mahual and had evacuated to their towns but came back to find literally just rubble left of the town. we were lucky gits.
