HURRICANE REPORT FROM Homer Hawthorne Missionary working in harder hit areas to the South of us.
The city, state and national governments are working well and quickly to restore the infrastructure of the city of Chetumal. Here is what we have observed and learned thus far in the city of Chetumal:
· In both states all people have left shelters to return to their homes or family.
· 95% of the streets have been cleared for traffic.
· Water service to houses in Chetumal was restored today.
· 60% of the electricity has been restored to the city. Crews from all over Mexico are working in 24 hour shifts to restore power to the city. The power of the pastor’s house we are staying was restored yesterday morning. The government is promising to have all the power restored in a couple of more days in the city.
· There is cell phone service all over the city but some sectors still don’t have line service.
· Two gasoline stations are pumping gas in Chetumal with long lines. However 15 miles away we filled up at a station where there was no waiting line. The station in Bacalar was working off a generator.
· Several of the major banks have ATM machines already functioning.
· Supermarkets are open but some still don’t have electricity and are restocking. Even some restaurants are open.
· As Elizabeth and I got closer into Chetumal we saw the government in three different towns passing our tar paper roofing sheets and in Bacalar just outside Chetumal the Mexican Army had a portable kitchen serving hot meals. Also we saw a strong presence of the Mexican Red Cross in Felipe de Carrillo Puerto which is about a 150 km north of Chetumal
· Today the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and the Mexican Army were distributing food packets in Chetumal.
· We have also seen today Mexican Army distributing roofing sheets in Chetumal and Bacalar which are the two largest populated areas of the far south of the state of Quintana Roo.
· The Quintana Roo state government is trying to be transparent about what they still have in storage and published today what they yet have to distribute in the next few days. This is because of past mistakes and fraud in pervious relief efforts. They will distribute in the next few days in the affected area of the state of Quintana Roo: 14,740 food packets, 294,800 tar roofing sheet, 20,000 blankets, 21,900 light mattresses and 300 bottles of purified water.
· In the State of Campeche, which was not, as hard hit the government to date is distributing 24,000 food packets, 24,000 light mattresses, 6,000 packets of soap and cleansers.
· In both states all people have left shelters to return to their homes or family.
· 95% of the streets have been cleared for traffic.
· Water service to houses in Chetumal was restored today.
· 60% of the electricity has been restored to the city. Crews from all over Mexico are working in 24 hour shifts to restore power to the city. The power of the pastor’s house we are staying was restored yesterday morning. The government is promising to have all the power restored in a couple of more days in the city.
· There is cell phone service all over the city but some sectors still don’t have line service.
· Two gasoline stations are pumping gas in Chetumal with long lines. However 15 miles away we filled up at a station where there was no waiting line. The station in Bacalar was working off a generator.
· Several of the major banks have ATM machines already functioning.
· Supermarkets are open but some still don’t have electricity and are restocking. Even some restaurants are open.
· As Elizabeth and I got closer into Chetumal we saw the government in three different towns passing our tar paper roofing sheets and in Bacalar just outside Chetumal the Mexican Army had a portable kitchen serving hot meals. Also we saw a strong presence of the Mexican Red Cross in Felipe de Carrillo Puerto which is about a 150 km north of Chetumal
· Today the Salvation Army, the Red Cross and the Mexican Army were distributing food packets in Chetumal.
· We have also seen today Mexican Army distributing roofing sheets in Chetumal and Bacalar which are the two largest populated areas of the far south of the state of Quintana Roo.
· The Quintana Roo state government is trying to be transparent about what they still have in storage and published today what they yet have to distribute in the next few days. This is because of past mistakes and fraud in pervious relief efforts. They will distribute in the next few days in the affected area of the state of Quintana Roo: 14,740 food packets, 294,800 tar roofing sheet, 20,000 blankets, 21,900 light mattresses and 300 bottles of purified water.
· In the State of Campeche, which was not, as hard hit the government to date is distributing 24,000 food packets, 24,000 light mattresses, 6,000 packets of soap and cleansers.
