HEAVY FLOODING AND STORM DAMAGE FROM STORM JOHN

Sept. 7, 2006, Rick Barber, Mulege, Baja Sur, Mexico:

All hell broke loose in Mulege during Hurricane John. The water was within 5 to 6 feet of hitting the bottom of the bridge. At the "Y," the water was a couple of feet from entering Pancho Analla's "Yellow Store" and was two feet deep at the tope near his store.

Jorge's Park had only 1 to 2 feet of the roofs of the tallest houses visible at the peak of the flood. Orchard damage is very severe. Oasis damage varied. Houses near the river may be salvageable in some cases. The water came within a foot of the roof of Jungle Jim's.

Jorge's Park was destroyed. On a sad note, Peter Clarke drowned. He had left the park but went back to try to get his car out. The current swept his car away and turned it on its side. Peter got out but we found him jammed under some trees and brush a few yards away. He didn't have a chance and his death had to be quick. A few things are salvageable if you can find or get to them.

We got out early in the afternoon of the day before the flood hit. I learned a lot from Marty! Our house and trailer are gone. The palapa roof of my place collapsed and half of it is now on top of my neighbor's house. The other half collapsed on top of my kitchen and dining room. We are trying to salvage some more clothes, cooking items and tools. Our parrot Oliver and cat "CC" had been taken over to Lucia's parents' house on "high ground" for safekeeping, along with my boat and VW Baja Bug. The kitchen of their house where Oliver and "CC" were, got 5 feet of water. The top 4 inches of Oliver's cage is an arch. He survived by holding on for about 4 to 6 hours, upside down, from the top of his cage. "CC" got on top of a cabinet and stayed dry but very scared. The VW went under water, again, but is salvageable. My boat floated with absolutely no damage. It's a bit dirty along the waterline and quite unhappy about being stuck in some bushes of the house next door but I can pull it out quite easily.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Mulege and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Mulege may be found at Mexfish.com's main Mulege page.