Friday, June 22, 2012
Mexico Reports 3 Dead in Wake of Hurricane Carlotta June 22, 2012
The eye of Hurricane Carlotta can be seen collapsing as the Category 2 storm quickly weakened after making landfall in Oaxaca.
At least three people died as Category 2 Hurricane Carlotta lashed Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca on June 15.
Two of the victims were children whose home was destroyed by a mudslide triggered by the storm.
The third victim was a 56-year-old woman who perished when she attempted to drive from her riverfront home to another dwelling to find shelter.
Cities across the state reported damage to roads, bridges, utility lines and crops.
Carlotta left an estimated 4 to 8 inches of rainfall across parts of southern Mexico, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Carlotta, the third named storm of the Pacific hurricane season, passed to the north of Mexico's largest oil refinery, the 330,000 barrel-per-day Salina Cruz installation, which remained open and unaffected.
Hurricane Carlotta Track
Satellite Loop Data: CIMSS
Huatulco - at the World's Forefront of Sustainable Tourism
Huatulco - at the World's Forefront of Sustainable Tourism
In the 1970, the Mexican Government through Fonatur (National Fund for Tourism Development), implemented the development of Integrally Planned Resorts, with tourism as its dynamic center-point. In 1983, together with the Oaxaca State Government, the Master Plan for the Development of the Bays of Huatulco, which contains basic and detailed rules and regulations with regards to environment and urban and tourism development, was created.
Huatulco in its entirety has not only implemented elementary measures for the protection of the ecology and environment, but has gone much further by implementing programs that identify and recognize Huatulco as one of the most advanced tourism communities internationally with regards to the protection of its environment and the habitat of its species.
Chronology of Achievements
1998 - The Mexican Government declares an area of more than 11,800ha, land and aquatic, a Protected Natural Area, today known as Huatulco National Park.
2003 - The Convention on Wetlands (or Ramsar Convention) designates the “Wetlands and Corals of the Coastal Zone of Huatulco”, an area of more than 44,000ha covering land and sea, as Ramsar Site 1321.
2004 - The Equipo Verde Huatulco (Green Team Huatulco) is established; coordinated by representatives of the main social, economic, cultural, academic and governmental sectors, it implements short, medium and long term actions and programs, to position Huatulco as the leading sustainable tourism community in Mexico and the world.
CONANP declares 8,000ha of Santa Maria Huatulco’s land part of the Communal System of Protected Natural Areas
Huatulco adopts the EarthCheck Program for Environmental Administration, a system developed by EC3 Global, aiming to obtain the international Green Globe certification, a methodology created for the evaluation and certification of sustainability for the tourism and travel industry.
2005 - Huatulco, Sustainable Tourism Community – the destination receives the international Green Globe certification, being the first and so far only tourism destination on the American Continent to achieve this honor.
2005 - The EarthCheck methodology of evaluation and certification, as a process of constant improvement and best environmental practice requires an annual benchmarking and evaluation in which environmental impacts and conservation of natural resources are measured, compared and evaluated under strict international standards, including reduction in waste, energy efficiency, fresh and recycled water management, application of environmental regulations and the awareness raising among the general population of conservation efforts and practices.
2006 - The UNESCO designates the Municipality of Santa Maria Huatulco and the Huatulco National Park as a sole entity asBiosphere Reserve Huatulco, under their “Mand and Biosphere” program.
2003 - The Convention on Wetlands (or Ramsar Convention) designates the “Wetlands and Corals of the Coastal Zone of Huatulco”, an area of more than 44,000ha covering land and sea, as Ramsar Site 1321.
2004 - The Equipo Verde Huatulco (Green Team Huatulco) is established; coordinated by representatives of the main social, economic, cultural, academic and governmental sectors, it implements short, medium and long term actions and programs, to position Huatulco as the leading sustainable tourism community in Mexico and the world.
CONANP declares 8,000ha of Santa Maria Huatulco’s land part of the Communal System of Protected Natural Areas
Huatulco adopts the EarthCheck Program for Environmental Administration, a system developed by EC3 Global, aiming to obtain the international Green Globe certification, a methodology created for the evaluation and certification of sustainability for the tourism and travel industry.
2005 - Huatulco, Sustainable Tourism Community – the destination receives the international Green Globe certification, being the first and so far only tourism destination on the American Continent to achieve this honor.
2005 - The EarthCheck methodology of evaluation and certification, as a process of constant improvement and best environmental practice requires an annual benchmarking and evaluation in which environmental impacts and conservation of natural resources are measured, compared and evaluated under strict international standards, including reduction in waste, energy efficiency, fresh and recycled water management, application of environmental regulations and the awareness raising among the general population of conservation efforts and practices.
2006 - The UNESCO designates the Municipality of Santa Maria Huatulco and the Huatulco National Park as a sole entity asBiosphere Reserve Huatulco, under their “Mand and Biosphere” program.
“EARTHCHECK” SUSTAINABLE TOURISM COMMUNITY
2009 - For the 4th consecutive year, Huatulco obtains the EarthCheck certification under the Green Globe brand, and for the first time masters the “SILVER” distinction, for going significantly beyond “best practice” levels.
2010 - Chahué Beach is awarded the “Playa Limpia” (Clean Beach) certification by the Federal Attorney for the Protection of the Environment - PROFEPA, the first beach certified in the State of Oaxaca.
Huatulco’s environmental footprint was determined, taking into account all economic, tourist, travel and supply activities of the destination, based on 2009 data.
A proposal is presented to neutralize carbon emissions, applying a voluntary green bonus program with United Nations, aiming to become the first tourism destination of the American Continent, and maybe the world, to be completely carbon neutral.
2011 - Huatulco receives the EarthCheck Gold Certification, corresponding to 2010, for having complied in its entirety with the process and having obtained very favorable results.
2010 - Chahué Beach is awarded the “Playa Limpia” (Clean Beach) certification by the Federal Attorney for the Protection of the Environment - PROFEPA, the first beach certified in the State of Oaxaca.
Huatulco’s environmental footprint was determined, taking into account all economic, tourist, travel and supply activities of the destination, based on 2009 data.
A proposal is presented to neutralize carbon emissions, applying a voluntary green bonus program with United Nations, aiming to become the first tourism destination of the American Continent, and maybe the world, to be completely carbon neutral.
2011 - Huatulco receives the EarthCheck Gold Certification, corresponding to 2010, for having complied in its entirety with the process and having obtained very favorable results.
Huatulco Carbon Neutral
This ambitious project belongs to the Equipo Verde Huatulco and its main goal is to contribute to the mitigation of global warming by neutralizing emissions of all economic activities of this tourist destination, and at the same time strengthen the sustainability of the tourism community through local programs that guarantee a better quality of life for the population of the region.
Continuing Efforts, Now and the Future
During 2010, the Huatulco Green Team sponsored the calculation of the environmental footprint of the Bays of Huatulco, together with the Australian environment specialist company Green My Room, and with the support of FONATUR and the private sector, in order to determine the carbon emissions released yearly into the atmosphere as a result of all the tourist, travel, economic and complementary activities. Some of the noteworthy results are that 100% of Huatulco’s electricity is clean, coming from the nearby wind electricity plant La Ventosa. Together with the low levels of fossil energy use, this places the energy emissions indicator at 61% above best practice; waste generation at less than 500gr daily per capita is well below the national and global average, and weighs in at 7% above best practice.
As part of the first phase of the Carbon Neutral Program, and with the support of Eartcheck and Green My Room, an agreement has been signed for Huatulco for a voluntary green bonds program with which the reforestation and conservation of Scolel Te in Chiapas, Mexico, will be supported.
The short term goal for the Huatulco Carbon Neutral program is to obtain the “Low Carbon Zone” designation by Green My Room, and the long term goal is the final designation of “Carbon Free Zone”
As part of the first phase of the Carbon Neutral Program, and with the support of Eartcheck and Green My Room, an agreement has been signed for Huatulco for a voluntary green bonds program with which the reforestation and conservation of Scolel Te in Chiapas, Mexico, will be supported.
The short term goal for the Huatulco Carbon Neutral program is to obtain the “Low Carbon Zone” designation by Green My Room, and the long term goal is the final designation of “Carbon Free Zone”
HURRICANE CARLOTTA HITS PUERTO ESCONDIDO
HURRICANE CARLOTTA HITS PUERTO ESCONDIDO
Hurricane Carlotta, the third named Pacific storm of the season, briefly saw Category 2 status on Friday before weakening to Cat 1 and plowing almost directly into Puerto Escondido on Friday night with 90mph+ winds.
Local photographer Edwin Morales was in Puerto as the storm hit. Here is his firsthand account:
For starters the whole population of Puerto and the towns nearby were definitely NOT ready for this. The authorities were saying on the local radio it was a tropical storm and not a Category 2 hurricane. So lots of people were not ready for what we all felt.
I was tracking the storm for about two days before it hit us, and a couple of hours before it started, I was able to warn my family and all of our friends. Also: People here generally don't take things seriously. Therefore, no one had the essentials.
The storm started hitting us around 7pm with strong winds, about 50mph. The winds increased slowly until the eye of the storm was right on top of us and everything stopped. Lots of people thought it was over, but it was far from over.
That was around 8pm. As soon as the eye moved on, the winds finally came on strong, around 90mph, with gusts up to around 120mph. The darkness made things a lot worse, I think. No one could actually see what was going on.
Lots of houses lost their roofs and those inside had to run to find shelter somewhere else. I gave shelter to a family of 10 -- all in one room, hiding till next morning. The windows were whistling like crazy. It was scary. Lots of windows split apart.
Winds lasted until 10pm, I think and then the rain came. It was maybe not as strong as Pauline Hurricane in '97, but some people think the winds were stronger this time due to the wind direction.
Only a little part of the harbor area has electricity as of Monday morning. Slowly, it's getting fixed and power's being turned on in other areas of town. The area by the Point still has no power or running water. I don't even want to imagine how it is for the little communities far from here were the hurricane blasted them as well. (Note: two children died when their house was taken by a mudslide nearby, and one older woman passed away when the wind flipped her car.)
Saturday morning was really sad and awful to see all kinds of people who had lost everything the night before. Hundreds of trees had fallen all over the town. Dogs were running like crazy, as if they were wild dogs on the streets. All streets were still flooded. I can't even imagine how they were when the rain was at its strongest point on Friday night.
Lifeguards were the first to evaluate all the damage by the beach. All eight towers were completely smashed. At the harbor, there was not a single boat in the water. All boats had to be taken out. Ironically, a restaurant called the Split Coconut was split in half by the only palm tree that fell down in the entire area.
Now there's been lots of helicopters flying the area trying to evaluate all damage in the region and federal resources should be coming in shortly. I feel really bad for the people that lost everything.
The last big hurricane to make landfall here was Pauline in 1997, with winds of 109 mph, killing at least 230 people along the Pacific coast.
Luckily, other surf areas in southern Mexico fared better than Puerto. "In Salina Cruz, so far everything is good," says local surf tour operator Cesar Ramierez. "Lots of rain for five hours on Friday and showers on Saturday and Sunday, but everything is OK."
The Pacific Ocean hurricane season began on May 15 and ends on Nov. 30. Stay tuned to Surfline's Hurricanetrak for up-to-the-minute info on hurricanes around the world.
Local photographer Edwin Morales was in Puerto as the storm hit. Here is his firsthand account:
For starters the whole population of Puerto and the towns nearby were definitely NOT ready for this. The authorities were saying on the local radio it was a tropical storm and not a Category 2 hurricane. So lots of people were not ready for what we all felt.
I was tracking the storm for about two days before it hit us, and a couple of hours before it started, I was able to warn my family and all of our friends. Also: People here generally don't take things seriously. Therefore, no one had the essentials.
The storm started hitting us around 7pm with strong winds, about 50mph. The winds increased slowly until the eye of the storm was right on top of us and everything stopped. Lots of people thought it was over, but it was far from over.
That was around 8pm. As soon as the eye moved on, the winds finally came on strong, around 90mph, with gusts up to around 120mph. The darkness made things a lot worse, I think. No one could actually see what was going on.
Lots of houses lost their roofs and those inside had to run to find shelter somewhere else. I gave shelter to a family of 10 -- all in one room, hiding till next morning. The windows were whistling like crazy. It was scary. Lots of windows split apart.
Winds lasted until 10pm, I think and then the rain came. It was maybe not as strong as Pauline Hurricane in '97, but some people think the winds were stronger this time due to the wind direction.
Only a little part of the harbor area has electricity as of Monday morning. Slowly, it's getting fixed and power's being turned on in other areas of town. The area by the Point still has no power or running water. I don't even want to imagine how it is for the little communities far from here were the hurricane blasted them as well. (Note: two children died when their house was taken by a mudslide nearby, and one older woman passed away when the wind flipped her car.)
Saturday morning was really sad and awful to see all kinds of people who had lost everything the night before. Hundreds of trees had fallen all over the town. Dogs were running like crazy, as if they were wild dogs on the streets. All streets were still flooded. I can't even imagine how they were when the rain was at its strongest point on Friday night.
Lifeguards were the first to evaluate all the damage by the beach. All eight towers were completely smashed. At the harbor, there was not a single boat in the water. All boats had to be taken out. Ironically, a restaurant called the Split Coconut was split in half by the only palm tree that fell down in the entire area.
Now there's been lots of helicopters flying the area trying to evaluate all damage in the region and federal resources should be coming in shortly. I feel really bad for the people that lost everything.
The last big hurricane to make landfall here was Pauline in 1997, with winds of 109 mph, killing at least 230 people along the Pacific coast.
Luckily, other surf areas in southern Mexico fared better than Puerto. "In Salina Cruz, so far everything is good," says local surf tour operator Cesar Ramierez. "Lots of rain for five hours on Friday and showers on Saturday and Sunday, but everything is OK."
The Pacific Ocean hurricane season began on May 15 and ends on Nov. 30. Stay tuned to Surfline's Hurricanetrak for up-to-the-minute info on hurricanes around the world.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Huracan Carlota golpeando a Huatulco june 15 2012
Huracan Carlota golpeando a Huatulco june 15 2012
JUNE 16, 2012
Huracan Carlota golpeando a Huatulco june 15 2012
Hracan Carlota golpeando costa de bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca. 15/06/2012
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