power to the people

Meet Hurricane Enrique. 

You might think you have already met last week. But that was his cousin Tropical Storm Dolores that caused the postponement of my flight from Manzanillo last Saturday (putting the adventure into flying). I eventually flew out on a re-scheduled flight on Sunday.

When I saw the not-yet-named Enrique developing in the Pacific, I had a Yogi Berra moment. You know the quote. "It's déjà vu all over again."

I was scheduled to return to Manzanillo from Los Angeles on Saturday on the same flight that was canceled last week. My concern was that Asaka would cancel the flight again -- both times for storm activity.

Fortunately, for me, Enrique has turned out to be a lumbering lug. The storm has taken its time moving north. The weather models are uncertain whether the slow speed will allow the hurricane to strengthen over warm water. There is no doubt that the system is sucking up water to dump on the Mexican Pacific coast. We are experiencing that right now.

Yesterday, there was a soft rain that started in the afternoon and kept up through the night. Some time during the night the rainfall increased along with moderate winds. So far, we have received enough rain that the streets are flowing with water, and the sewage system is burbling like fountains through the manholes. Just like any summer storm here.

The recently-repaired and -paved street in front of the church is doing a credible impression of the Kiel Canal. And the usual low spots in Melaque have accumulated water.

While I was getting ready for church, the inevitable happened. At least, the inevitable when we have rain and wind combinations, The electricity flickered on and off twice. Then, it simply stayed off. The outage appears to have been widespread in Barra -- at least, in my extended neighborhood.

When I drove over to church, I saw at least five Civil Protection trucks driving around with their lights flashing. But it appears that is all they were doing. Driving around.

It was not until then, that I noticed that our electricity provider (CFE) had not marshalled trucks in the area prior to the arrival of the hurricane. CFE has long been noted for its preparation prior to storms. After all, when the power is cut off, so is CFE's revenue streams.

But the trucks must have been somewhere nearby. When I returned from my first trip to Melaque this morning, the lights were still out on Nueva España. But there was a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Two CFE crews were braving the wind and rain to restore electricity in front of the neighborhood Oxxo store. When I returned from lunch, we once again had electricity.

The CFE crews are consistently the primary heroes during these storms.

I was prepared to be without power for a day or two. Enrique is still throwing rain and wind at us -- and most likely will through tomorrow. CFE may still have repairs to do.

These storms are a mixed blessing. The area is in dire need of rain. Even though the surrounding hills have greened up from the rain Tropical Storm Dolores brought, this area is still suffering from drought conditions.

But we are also a tourist area. A lot of people make their living off of tourist pesos. And rain does not improve the cash flow from people who come here for a bit of sun, surf, and sand. I ran into a group of holiday-makers, stripped to their beach wear, seeking shelter under the overhang of a Kiosko. Sullen would be an accurate adjective for them.

At least, I am back home. A bit of wind and rain will not dampen the pleasure of being here. And here I will be for another two weeks until I need to make another trip north.

But that is then. Right now, I am heading to the patio to witness nature's strength.