My experience of Hurricane Wilma Cancun Mexico – 10 years ago

In October 2005 to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary myself and Nigel set off on a holiday of a lifestyle to Cancun Mexico. Staying along the main hotel zone, in the Occidental Caribbean Village all inclusive hotel, with the beautiful white sand and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean sea to one side of our hotel and the other side the salt-water lagoon.

The holiday was amazing, we enjoyed days in the glorious sunshine on the golden sandy beach soaking up the sun, sangria and cocktails at the hotel pool swim up bar, swimming in the turquoise sea, swimming through the underground rivers at Xcaret and swimming with dolphins. We were lucky enough to meet Kate and Lee another young couple staying in our hotel, we spent the majority of the holiday with them and we all got on well together.

On the Tuesday evening we had seen that a hurricane was reported, we spoke to our rep and we asked what the plan was, will we be flown home? She assured us that if the hurricane was due to hit our resort we would be informed but until then carry on and enjoy our holiday. So nothing to worry about!

So on Wednesday we set off on our planned trip to swim with dolphins at Rivera Maya and carried on enjoying our holiday. On returning to our hotel that evening there was an easel board in reception with a note about the hurricane and that it would be hitting our resort, the sea was getting rough, the wind was getting up and the staff had started boarding up windows and were gathering up the sunbeds from the poolside. I was now starting to worry! We took shelter in our room and watched the CNN news on our TV and we could see that the hurricane was on it’s way and it was reported to be a category 5!

The rain was hitting pretty hard that night with water dripping in through our hotel room window, we used towels to try and soak it up. I text my Uncle in the UK and let him know that the hurricane was coming, he responded, ‘so when are they flying you home?’ now I was starting to really worry as being flown home was not an option the airport was now closed!

On the Thursday we went down for breakfast and we were told once we had had breakfast to go back to our rooms and wait, we would be evacuated to a nearby shelter until the storm had passed.

We were told to pack our suitcases, keeping a small bag of essential items only to take to the shelter. Our suitcases would need to be stored in our hotel room bathroom on the shelf above the sink. It all seemed very bizarre but we did as we were asked! Everyone remained in their hotel rooms, waiting in anticipation to be called. We were in the hands of the hotel manager and staff from this point and we had to put our trust in what they told us to do.

The hotel was evacuated floor by floor, we couldn’t use the lifts we were taken down the emergency exits. We were put on a coach and driven to our shelter. We had no idea where that was, how long we would be there, we just had to trust it was all going to be ok. As we left our hotel we envisaged returning the next day once the storm had passed to carry on our holiday where we had left off, little did we know we were waving goodbye to this hotel for the last time and we would never see it again.

We arrived at El Forito a small theatre built to withstand a hurricane (we hoped!) it was situated further inland in Cancun’s main town. The theatre was small, with a raised stage and seating area to the ground floor, and above a small balcony area with seating to view the stage. Pillows and blankets were given out, there were not enough for everyone so we only got a blanket between 2 people and no pillow. We found some floor space up on the balcony and were joined by our friends Kate and Lee. There was over 300 people squeezed into our shelter, sleeping side by side on the floor, chairs or stage whatever space you could find! The conditions were not great, it was extremely hot and humid the shelter with no air conditioning, there were ladies and mens toilets each with 2 toilets each and it wasn’t long before these became unhygienic with over 300+ people using them.

Hotel staff were on hand to prepare meals, food which was very basic, rice, bread, canned fruit and tuna with water to drink the all inclusive experience was over at this point! The hotel manager would take to the stage and make announcements to update us on what was going on throughout our time in the shelter. We played cards and read magazines and listened to music on our headphones. Once the hurricane was in full swing the generator blew the power and we were left in total darkness so laying on the floor listening to the hurricane was our only option. You could hear the rain hitting down hard on the roof and things banging the roof, at this point the noise in the shelter was minimal with everyone waiting in terror for the storm to pass for hours and hours and days and days…

Being in darkness and sleep deprived it had got to the point we didn’t think we were going to survive this, we still had battery life on my mobile phone I text my parents to say I don’t think we will be coming home and I really did believe this at the time. The hotel manager was preparing us for the possibility of the roof being ripped off, the floor downstairs had started to flood, luckily we were dry up on the balcony. People rallied round with buckets to try and gather up the flood water that was pouring in. The toilets had stopped working and were now in a pretty poor state, in order to flush the toilets we had to use a bucket of rain water.

Food was rationed in the shelter as it went on for so much longer than anyone had ever anticipated, drinking water had run out so we were left to drink rain water which had been collected, boiled and cooled by hotel staff.

When Sunday came the storm had finally passed and we were able to leave the shelter for the first time. Oh my goodness was this an amazing feeling! Breathing freshair for the first time! After days of darkness we could finally see the light of day again! What faced us on the outside of the shelter was total destruction! El Forito was still standing, that building had clearly saved our lives as the sights outside were devastating. Overturned cars, telegraph poles bent over as far as the eye could see, roofs had been ripped off the place was a wreak.

Our hotel manager had left on the hotel mini bus to return to the hotel and see if the road was passable and if we could return soon. People were so pleased to leave the shelter and made their way to the nearby payphone to join the long que, they were waiting to phone home and tell them they were ok, that they had survived hurricane Wilma!

Being outside our shelter bought a whole new risk, even though the hurricane had passed looters were reported to be carrying machetes and were raiding nearby shops. So we were told to stay in the shelter to ensure our safety.

Our hotel manager returned to the shelter and announced that we would not be returning to our hotel, our hotel had been severly damaged, the roads were dangerous and in passable and the hotel inself had suffered intensive damage. The storm surge during the store had meant the sea and lagoon had met and our hotel had flooded up to the third floor. Everyone by this point were severely sleep deprived and hungry which meant there were a lot of very upset and angry people. The hotel rep got punched as tempers grew, how were we going to get home? 

Food was quickly running out at the shelter we were down to basic rasions of a small slice of bread and a sip of water. Cancun airport was reported closed with no flights departing or arriving anytime soon. The hotel staff had bought sunbeds back so that we could all be more comfortable and everyone started setting up camp outside the shelter, it was like a scene from Lost, I think it has got to the point where we all couldn’t see a way out of this, a way to actually get home.

I forget the exact timings at this point as I was so sleep deprived and didn’t really even know days and times, but I believe it was on the Monday a coach turned up at our shelter, at last it was a glimmer of hope that we might actually get home! The coach was there to collect all holiday makers that were travelling with Thomson, thank goodness that was us!!! We had to report to the hotel staff leave our room keys behind, along with our address as if they could retrieve our luggage which remained in our hotel room they would send it back to us in the UK. We were given hotel T.shirts to change into as we hadn’t washed for days now and were feeling pretty grotty. We thanked the hotel staff for all they had done and set off on the coach. We were being driven to Merida airport, it was inland and was operating an emergency flight shuttle service to get all affected holiday makers home.

We felt so relieved at last we were on our way home! As we left the shelter we waved goodbye and left people behind who had no idea when a coach would turn up to take them, you felt so bad leaving them behind. As we set off we saw the total devastation around us, buildings with roofs missing, power lines down, we drove up one road and there were ques of Mexican people for miles and miles waiting to collect water from a red cross aid lorry. It really made you realise we were leaving this behind but this was their home and they had to deal with this aftermath.

As we left the city behind we headed up a long stretch of road, finally we were starting to relax as after days and days home was finally insight. We were warned it would be a long trip to the airport as they would have to go the long way round due to the storm damage and flood waters. All of a sudden facing us up ahead was a severely flooded road, the military were there telling people to turn around, across the other side of the road was a coach which had got stuck in the flood water, there were people on the roof of the coach, the water was up to the coach windows it looked terrifying they were clearly in danger. Surely we would now be turning around and going back? Surely we wouldn’t be going through it? 

Our driver stopped and talked to the military, we had no idea what was being said they were speaking in Spanish. As the driver looked ahead he touched the crucifix above his steering wheel, he put his foot down and off we went through the flood water! It was truly terrifying it went on for a good mile or so but felt like forever. The water was up to the coach windows, the water was coming in the door and pouring down the coach floor, we were terrified that the coach would overturn that we would drown, the driver had to stand up so he could see what he was doing! As we left the flood waters the other end there was an enormous cheer of joy, we actually made it out of the other side it was a miracle! We hit another 2 places where we had to get through flood water but our coach driver was amazing and got us through it! Some 8-10 hours later we arrived at Merida airport, as we left the coach the driver was tipped by everyone on board he had probably made more money that day than he made all year we were so pleased to finally be on the next leg of our journey home.

The airport was complete chaos, thousands of people of all nationalities crowded outside and inside we felt like refugees. People flighting to get to the front of crowds to make sure they could get home as soon as possible. We reported to the British Embassy and were allocated an emergency flight. The emergency flight would take us to Dominican Republic and then we were would be taken to a resort hotel and await our flight home. As we took off and left Mexico behind it felt great but to think we had to land in another county rather than go home was disappointing to say the least! I remember landing in Dominican Republic and we were taken by coach to hotel, we were met by reps who had shampoo, hairbrushes and clothing for us! We had a room to check into and we had a shower it was amazing to finally feel clean and wash hurricane Wilma away!

We were only at the hotel for a few hours and we were told to return to the airport via coach as we were now allocated a flight home to London Gatwick airport. That felt like the longest flight we have ever done, but when we touched the runway back in the UK I felt complete relief. Once we were through passport control with no luggage to collect we could quickly make our way to the arrivals hall. My mum and dad were there to greet us and to see them again was so overwhelming we were so pleased to be safe and home finally! There was press and film crew there to greet the hurricane Wilma survivors! We were interviewed for GMTV.

We said a very emotional goodbye to Kate and Lee at the airport as they continued their journey back to the ROI. Kate remains a special friend to me and Nigel, even though she lives far away going through an experience like that together means we remain special friends today.

When we returned home we suffered post traumatic stress disorder, we were in shock and very sleep deprived. But after a month or 2 we got on with our lives as though nothing had happened.

A month or so later there was a knock at our door and it was a courier delivering our suitcases! We couldn't believe it, the staff of the hotel had obviously managed to retrieve our cases, being on the 5th floor they obviously didn't suffer any flood damage from the storm.

As for the fate of our hotel The Occidental Carribean Village, today it stands as an empty plot. It suffered severe damage in the storm and I believe it opened for a short while in 2006 but because extensive refurbishment was needed it later closed and was demolished.

10 years on Hurricane Wilma is still the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. I will never forgot living through Wilma the kindness of the Mexican staff at our hotel who put us before their own families and the Mexican coach driver that got us through that floodwater and to the airport to get our flight home.

After 10 years it almost seems like a dream like it never actually happened to us! But October every year I always think of hurricane Wilma and our experience. It truly was the holiday of lifetime but not for the reasons I ever expected. Me and Nigel have now celebrated our 11^th wedding anniversary, if we can get through Wilma together we can get through anything!