Living at Lake Chapala in Mexico

After seeing photos of the devastation left in the wake of the water spout and flash floods hit San Juan Cosalá and in the Racquet Club above the village, knowing some of the good stories of the day and some of the things people are doing to help has helped keep me balanced and hopeful. I hope it will help you as well.

I've been gleaning bits and pieces from emails, telephone calls and conversations today. I'd like to share some with you here.

It's strange how we're receiving news. Two of the most direct reports I've received today have come from friends in Colorado and Michigan. They had been in touch with Racquet Club friends that I'd not yet heard from. Thank God for the small world our technology has created. It wasn't long ago that loved ones in the US and Canada would have to wait for weeks and weeks for information. Today news travels instantly from the Racquet Club to all over the world--well at least from the locations that have electricity, internet access and or phone lines.

An Emailed Report from a Raquet Club Visitor:

"I went out to the Raquet Club and was able to sneak thru two miles of roadblocks on my bike, but was stopped 200 yards from the entrance to the Raquet Club. I walked over the top of rocks that filled the main road into the Raquet Club up and beyond the guardshack and these rocks were from 4 feet deep to 12 feet deep. One field approximately 1.5 acres was covered with rocks 3 feet deep.

"It appears to be a combination of a landslide of rocks propelled down the steep grades by momentum, and kept moving by the force of flood waters. The rocks are very large, and it is unknown where the huge rocks originated? Were they unearthed by the floods high in the mountains? Were they part of retainer walls or foundations?

"It is reported that 10 houses may be completely lost, and the clubhouse at the Raquet Club slid down the mountain and is pretty much gone. " (Judy adds: I've now seen photos of the club area--it's pretty well destroyed. The playground is totally covered with an even layer of rocks that appear to be basketball size or larger. )

"Today I saw military personell, civil patrol, fireman, local police, state police, television cameramen, and heavy equipment that could hardly scratch the surface in 4 hours removing 50-60 large dumptruck loads. "

A Report on Flip and Dixie Nicholson
Well liked and well known, Flip and Dixie Nicholson live in one of the highest homes in the Raquet Club. You've heard that when it rains it pours...just last week their real estate office (Absolute Fenix in San Antonio Tlayacapan) took on an immense amount of water and mud. The file room is lower than the main room of the office and the mess there was not to believed. Flip, who is one of the musical group the Tall Boys had his amps, speakers, instruments and such stored in the back of that building and that part of the building is even lower than the file room.

They began immediate construction on a drainage system to funnel the water flowing down the street Allen W. Lloyd (where the entrance to El Parque, the cemetary and Loyola Academy and the Lakeside Little Theater are located) across the highway and down Calle San Jose in San Antonio Tlayacapan. The drainage system was dug and cemented but not finished when the new storms hit early Wednesday morning--this time in the Raquet Club.

I'd heard on Wednesday that Flip and Dixie were safe, their pets all accounted for and their house standing--and that they were trying to conserve their cell phone batteries since they were without electric, phone and water.

This afternoon I received a call from a friend in Colorado who had reached Flip today at a friend's home. Flip walks down the mountain (let me tell you that before the waterspout and rock slide walking down that mountain would be an all day task for most folks) a couple times a day to make phone calls and to check in on the business. I don't even want to think of walking back up the mountain--even when the roads were clear, it took a good 7 minutes or more to drive up to their house, let along walking.

Flip who has a good background in construction told my friend that there are many severely damaged homes, and some that are just plain gone. He talked about cars that have been buried in rock or shoved with piles of rocks through walls and into living areas of homes. He reports that he believes that it will take months to restore the electrical, phone and water lines to all areas of this neighborhood. He's looking for a generator in attempt to save the food they have in freezers.

Even though their home is not damaged, Dixie and Flip are facing the very real need to relocate for the duration, just to be able to lead a somewhat normal life.

Peter Palmer, Pedro of Pedro's Restaurant tells us that when he ventured out to San Juan with a group of men with shovels they were transported in a dump truck through some of the rubble.

They spotted many places where the water and mud lines on the homes and property walls was 10 feet above the street.

Pedro confirmed that while the orphanage is badly damaged, there are still buildings and walls standing there and that all of the children (usually 100-120 are housed there) are all safe and accounted for.

A woman from our church told of her adventures during the past two days. Her husband had left before the storm hit to travel to the US for a medical procedure. Then she was left to get her visiting family members to the airport to meet their return flights. In her large van she was able to get out via one of the just re-opened "service" entrances to the Raquet Club. Making it through to the open highway was another challenge, but she eventually made it to the airport and returned to her home.

The ability to leave and return to the Raquet Club seems to large be controlled by a resident's location within the club. those near those access roads have a better chance. Those who live on east-west streets have fewer challenges than those who are on north-south streets or must cross the main street that goes up through the club.

These quotes were sent to me by a reader of yesterday's blog notices:

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:36:57 -0700 (PDT)

"As you probably know a massive rock slide hit the Raquet Club precipitated by 5 inches of heavy rain early Wednesday morning.

"Several houses destroyed and I think the club's pool too. Can't get over that way due to the massive pile of boulders.

"A neighbor?s Honda Accord was shoved right through the house. Lucky for her she was having [an] evening . . . in Ajijic."

Another friend's email tells of a man's adventure while housesitting in the Racquet Club.

"He said that the house next to him on Ilie Nastasie was carried away in the storm yesterday. A rock came through the back of the house and carried on out through the front and took the house with it down the mountain. Fortunately the house he was in was not damaged."

At first glance it would seem that San Juan Cosalá is a very unlucky place. Still after a second and third glance, it seems to me that this village must be very blessed indeed. How anyone survived this wrath of nature, I'll never understand. Thank God they all did. Keep these anxious and struggling folks in your prayers.