Hurricane Kenna

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SPUD2
Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by SPUD2 » Sun Nov 03, 2002 2:31 am

Hola Ana
Many thanks for your report.
We have been getting updates from JR AND PMT (very much appreciated).
It is nice to see a rep from one of the hotels taking the time and effort to placete the potential tourists.
Gracias
Trevor.

scottymex
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Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by scottymex » Wed Nov 06, 2002 7:44 pm

Now that some time has passed and the Malecon is being rebuilt/repaired, what exactly is the status of the Malecon and those wonderful statues? Are most of them gone for good? It just wont seem like the Malecon without the statues.

jg

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by jg » Wed Nov 06, 2002 11:07 pm

Can anyone advise of how the beaches faired, and can we expect to use one nearby this xmas ?

Thanks in advance

riflelady 40

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by riflelady 40 » Mon Nov 11, 2002 1:21 pm

Trust P.V. and it's wonderful people to bounce right back. Thank you Ana Ramirez for your update. I haven't been on the board for quite a while. And was devastated to read the previous posts. Our thoughts and prayers are with all along the coast. I'm so proud of the people in P.V. and look forward to our vacation in Jan. for two weeks. It will be wonderful to see the faces of all the new friends we met last year. take care and may god watch over
our little bit of heaven here on earth (P.V)

Dr. Ruth

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by Dr. Ruth » Thu Nov 14, 2002 9:03 pm

Capt Jack (Oct 26, 2002 01:19 p.m.):
Well said GoYo, the cleanup began yesterday and is proceeding around the clock. As I noted in another thread, please patronize the local businessmen. They don't have much activity in the Summer and need our business from Fall to Spring to survive. These businesses do not have flood insurance! It is non-existent. Business interuption insurance, HA! They will rebuild with their own sweat and efforts and take stock on consignment or any other way it may be available to them.

Do call your hotel, but I'm certain that they are in operation and the small businesses, restaurants and clubs, if not already open, will be open for business shortly. As mentioned earlier, the restaurants on the beach were badly damaged and may take awhile longer.

PV is still the most beautiful place on earth and it's people are still the friendliest. Nothing will dampen their spirit.Think of the reasons we go there, not just for the nightlife and booze cruises, but for the people and the ambiance. Nothing has changed that can't be repaired soon.

All those coming to PV soon, Enjoy!
Hi Do You know anything re: mosquito epidemic as a result of the rains, has this been sensationalized or is it ok to come for a bit of R&R, Ruth

Dr. Ruth

Re:Current Status of Puerto Vallarta

Post by Dr. Ruth » Thu Nov 14, 2002 9:09 pm

Ana Ramirez (Nov 02, 2002 06:17 p.m.):
Dear Friends:

I would like to introduce myself, my name is Ana Ramirez and I am the Public Relations Manager of the Crown Paradise Resort, based on Puerto Vallarta.

All in Puerto Vallarta have been surprised at some of the comments that we have been received about what some people is reporting. Therefore, in response to some of the exaggerated news coverage that apparently has been reported in the States about the state of condition of Puerto Vallarta after the hurricane, I am writing you all this letter to clarify a few details:

1. Hurricane Kenna never touched Puerto Vallarta's coast. What caused the damages to the properties was the tides and the waves, not the hurricane.

2. Puerto Vallarta sustained damage along a stretch of beachfront between the Malecon and the Hotel Zone. These areas were mostly affected due to the trajectory of the hurricane (in a northely direction to the Bay of Banderas). The damage will no doubt be substantial in terms of Dollars, as the value of the property along the coastline is some of the most valuable in Mexico. But the number of properties affected compared to the entire community is a mere fraction of the town as a whole. The Weather Channel reported the next day that while the coastline was suffering, that 95% of Vallarta remained virtyally unaffected.

3. Not one death has been reported in Puerto Vallarta as a result of the storm. This is not only a testament to the efficiency of emergency and rescue crews along the coast of Bay of Banderas, byt also further evidence that the hillside and flatland communities of thies beautiful jungle town were untouched by this event.

4. Many, if not most, of the first-floor businesses on the Malecon were affected by the storm. However, only two days afterward, establishments were already opening for business, including Carlos O'Brians, which too, had been damaged, but repaired. Our ery own internet service provider has been flooded, only to be 100% operational on the third day of the storm. Many of the Malecon businesses are back open today (only the 7th day after the storm!)

5. Airline service is back to full operating capacity at the airport. The airport was closed only for a couple of hours the day of the storm due to safety reasons, however continued their normal operations a few hours later.

6. All roads are open INCLUDING the Malecon.

6. Electricity service has been INTENTIONALLY turned off to most, if not all, of the city by the electric company in order to avert any unwarranted damage or injuries to individuals. The service remained off during the storm and within a couple hours virtually all households and businesses had power again.Telephone service was available during the entire storm.

7. With the obvious exception of parts of the Malecon and certain beachfront establishments, restaurants, clubs and stores are open for business, as is the rest of the town.

8. The structure of the Bay of Banderas was a clear factor in the protection of Puerto Vallarta. It is evidence that we can withstand even the very worst storm that can be imagined. In fact, the last time a hurricane affected Puerto Vallarta was more than 53 years ago. In addition, it has been reported that a Category 5 hurricane has never been experienced off the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Given the magnitude of this storm and the rarity of its occurrence, I'd say Puerto Vallarta faired very well.

While I am not trying to diminish the event of the fact that it occurred or that thousands of people in the nearby towns of San Blas, Guayabitos, Tepic and other northern communities were severely affected by this storm. I do want to bring to light the fact that Puerto Vallarta is not in nearly as desperate a state as some news agencies are reporting. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we are a tourist destination and are better known that the towns mentioned above that were more seriously affected, we have received the bad press. The town is bruised, but not destroyed. We are saddened by the loss of our materialistic possessions, but revel in the life that we all share, here in Paradise. If nobody had told you that there was a hurricane, with the exception of a handful of businesses temporarily closed, you would never know that anything had happened.

Please take note that the town of Puerto Vallarta is preparing for your arrival, be your visitor, businessman/women, or part-time resident. You will be welcomed with the same hospitality and friendliness that you have come to know and love. Some physical aspects of the city may have involuntarily been changed, but the heart and soul of Puerto Vallarta remains as you remember it.

If you have any questions or doubts about any of the above, please feel free to contact me. I hope this answers any concerns you may have had about your beloved Puerto Vallarta and how we aredoing now that the sun is shining.

My very best,
Hello you have answered a lot of my questions, now i have heard that there are a lot of mosquitos driving everyone nuts etc.... is this true???

Ana Ramirez

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by Ana Ramirez » Fri Nov 15, 2002 7:58 pm

Dear friends:

This e-mail is regarding the situation of the Dengue in Jalisco State. The information you are going to see below is taken from the Official Statement sent by the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Puerto Vallarta, reported directly by the Health Minister (we received this information on November 13th, 2002):

"It is true that some cases of dengue have been detected in bordering populations, none of the cases have been near Puerto Vallarta's tourist area. The dengue is under control and measures for its total eradication are being executed in the next few days, thus, it does not represent any risk for the visitors of this destination, reported Jalisco's Health Secretary, Alfonso Petersen Farah.

"Experts have registered some cases in isolated communities, but it has not been found in the tourist and residential areas of the city due to the fact that the particular mosquito that causes the disease spawns exclusively in rain water tanks, and, compared with other mosquito species, it does not spawn in sea water. So, it is very difficult that this disease is in the marshes or the beaches, said Carlos de Leon, director of Convention and Visitor's Bureau in Puerto Vallarta.

"Though the sanitary authorities define the situation exists, it is not considered serious or out of control, and as noted, none of the cases have been detected in the tourist area and in the downtown, commented Salvador Pena, director of the Local Tourism Government in Puerto Vallarta.

"Mr. Pena also stated that the problem is being eradicated, by intensely working in coordination wit the Minister of Health of the state, through fumigation of the affected zones, a massive informational campaign for residents, as well as recommendations have been implemented for the community in order to keep a high hygiene level and care in water tanks, places where the mosquito can reproduce and grow.

"It is important to mention that independent of the isolated cases, the spreading of dengue finishes with the rainy season, which is near conclusion, thus any possibility of further cases will be eliminated".

At our property, we have not had any cases of dengue, however, we are suggesting to our visitors to bring bugs repellent just in case.

Thanks, and if I have more information, I will let you know.

Ana

PS: If someone wants to have a copy of the original statement, please feel free to e-mail me.

Just Back

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by Just Back » Sun Nov 17, 2002 6:02 am

Just returned today from weeks vacation in PV, so I will provide some details on the state of PV from the point of view of a tourist.
Before leaving to PV I was reading the boards to attain information of the state of PV. Unfortunately it seems many of the postings must be from locals who want to downplay the damage to their city.
The Malceon (sp?): Most of the shops are open and the traffic is one lane only. The walkway that use to be along the Malceon is closed. A large barrier is located along the water side of the street due to damage from the hurricane. Along the walkway are guards of some sort, to keep people away from that area, as it is closed. From what I could see the walkway sustained alot of damage, areas of the breakwall are gone, concrete missing from areas of the walkway. Below the breakwall, from what I was told use to be a beach, currently it is filled with very large rocks and is inaccessible.
In pictures I have seen many sculptures along this area, the seahorse remains and another which escapes me at this time are still standing.
They seem to be constantly working on repairing this area, but since I am not privy to construction timelines, I have no idea how long it will take to repair.
Please note this is only one street, as the remainder of the downtown area around the malceon that I visited seemed fine, no substantial damage noted.

Hotels: Stayed at the Riu Jalisco, before going I was really worried about the Riu since I had read good and bad postings. The staff was wonderful, I had no real problems all week. The hotel itself is beautiful, they are working hard to restore the gardens near the beach area. In the week that I was their it was unbelievable how much was completed. They are almost at the point where you would not even know a hurricane had been though. The food is buffet style, generally a good selection, average.

Due to flight delays I also stayed at the Fiesta Americana for one night. The hotel itself is o.k. but the pool and beach area sustained substantial damage. The entire area, which includes the pool is closed off and looks like a big mess.

During my trip, I noticed the locals really downplaying the damage of the hurricane, and I do believe some hotels may have taken this chance to close the hotel to do some renovations.

As for the mosquito problem did not hear anything about it when I was there. Only had one mosquite bite me and the rest of the party I was with received none.

All in all, I enjoyed Puerto Vallarta quite a bit. Although it would have been nice to walk along the malceon boardwalk, it by no way dampend my trip. Just be careful at which hotel you are staying at.

LordBalfor

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by LordBalfor » Mon Nov 18, 2002 3:13 pm

For those who are intested I found some photos of the Malecon and other areas that were taken after the storm and show some of the damage. I know this is starting to be somewhat old news now and that repairs are apparently well underway, but the photos are interesting none-the-less, so here they are:

http://community.webshots.com/album/55167195AiNYlj

Ken

pat

Help for our favorite local businesses

Post by pat » Mon Nov 18, 2002 6:07 pm

Do you know how we can help our favorite local businesses (besides, of course, coming back as usual)? Specifically, La Palapa, The bar and restaurant at El Set, Las Palomas?

Please advise of any general or specific "fund" we can contribute to.

Thank you for the comprehensive report on the true state of our much loved PV.

jade

Re:Hurricane Kenna

Post by jade » Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:42 pm

hello,
Did anyone ever get in a situation where one was booked and paid for an resort(for us it was the Continental Plaza) but then because of Kenna(hurricane) it got closed down upon our arrival. We were not given alternatives, but got shoved up in another property we didn't want and far from where we wanted to be. How can one get their money back when the agency nor the wholesaler want to budge?
Thanks for any insight!

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Hurricane Kenna

Post by webmaster » Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:54 am

Read more on why Puerto Vallarta doesn't really have a hurricane season and more on Hurricane Kenna too.

http://www.puertovallarta.net/weather/h ... llarta.php

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