If you ask someone if they can think of anything positive associated with a hurricane, most folks, especially those who have lived through a devastating one, will answer with a resounding “NO!” But the fact remains that the old saw, “’Tis an ill wind that blows no good” does apply to hurricanes, in particular, ones that ravage warm weather tourism destinations. Before you call the folks with a straight jacket on us, let us explain.
Back in August of 1992, a devastating hurricane, “Andrew”, a Category 5 storm on the Safford-Simpson scale made landfall in south Florida. It was the costliest storm to hit the U.S. until Irma a few years ago. And it was the most damaging to land on U.S. soil until Katrina in 2005. Thousands upon thousands of homes and other buildings were destroyed by ‘Andrew’ and it took, literally, years for the region to finally recover from the damage. But it led to new building codes that required all new structures to be able to withstand a Category 5 storm. South Florida has experienced many hurricanes since then but the damage to buildings has been minimal. Clearly a positive result.
In October of 2005 Hurricane Wilma, another Category 5 storm hit the Mexican Caribbean. It hung around for three days. Although electric service and delivery of potable water was restored in a record five to six days, many hotels were severely damaged. What was worst was the fact that thousands of tourists were stranded in poorly equipped shelters and the like, the airport was closed and they had no way of getting home.
That led to what Mexicans call a new “culture” with respect to hurricanes. The Quintana Roo state government now sets up its hurricane or disaster committee the moment the weather services announce the possibility of a storm hitting the region and as much in advance as possible, orders the evacuation of hotels and increased flights from the airport. It has had a positive effect on the tourism industry because folks know they will not be allowed to remain in danger or stranded as in the past. And evacuated guests are compensated with a free return stay.
Another aspect of the “hurricane culture” of the Mexican Caribbean is that unlike other tourism destinations of Mexico, it enjoys residential access to ultra-high-speed broad band Internet service. It is not limited to hotels and businesses but is available to individual residents. It is provided by GigNet at a very reasonable monthly fee plus a small cost for installation. In that way, residents of Cancun and the rest of the Mexican Caribbean can remain informed immediately of any changes in the track or intensity of the storm. Another positive to applaud.
