Hurricane Patricia

So how are you all doing, post hurricane? Was there a followup thread that I missed? I was offline for a few days.

A bad one will rip your walls and roof off the frame. This isn't fear-mongering. Flee. If you cannot and a category 3 has you bore-sighted flee the rig for a hotel. Wings, harp, and halo make driving an RV a challenge.

200 is blocked by at least one landslide between PV & Melaque

rocmoc wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

IMHO No matter what it takes DieselBurps, when you feel the first gusts of storm wind, maneuver your rig endwise to the wind, even if you have to block aisles and unplug to do it. Do not allow the wind to hit you on the beam.

Also AGREE! Have had to do this twice in West Texas & Southern New Mexico and you are in Worst conditions than I was. Put the ship into the wind!

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

Fill all of your tanks with water- fresh, gray, black... Ballast as low as possible...

Quicksilver is anchored to 1000X20 tires anchored in buried blocks of concrete. Originally a mid-engine school bus, she has federal spec construction including rollover. Four 1/2" link lifting spec chains bind her frame to the tires with chain binders wired shut. 1-1/8" marine sub floor cover her windows. She is sitting about 50' from a solid rock hillside.

This is not normal precautions for the average traveler. But a reader may gain an impression that Mex is cavalier with regards to RVs and hurricanes. The facts speak otherwise.

Flee! And do not wait until the last few hours! When on the road, I give myself two full days to clear the area. False alarms are frequent, but like playing Russian Roulette, a person definitely does not want to find themselves incorrect.

eebmike.com is an excellent fast loading site for Pacific weather. From 1 May to 1 December this is the site I load first in the morning.

Que le Vaya Bien everyone

HAM network and other best guesses...

The nucleus of PATRICIA was very small in diameter. 235 mph wind gusts were limited to a pencil thin band some 10 miles wide. Successive lesser velocity laminar bands extended down to around Manzanillo. Ground zero appears to have been La Manzanilla, Boca de Iguana, Tenacatita/El Rebalcitos, and El Tecuan. North of the channel of maximum impact (like Rancho Seco, inland) there is a lot less habitation and infrastructure.

But even 200 miles to the south, 50 mph wind gusts were reported, and unbelievable quantities of rainfall.

The Sierra Madre rises almost vertically here and further to the south in Michoacan it rises even more steeply to elevations around 8,000 feet.

When a hurricane hits such a barrier, it lifts and colder air above sucks the life out of the storm and fractures it. Patricia had so much moisture, a lot of it passed the mountains and continued onward. Flash flooding covers a tremendous area of central Mexico.

There is no news yet from the highest zone impact area.

Some idea just a bit of perspective can be gained from the image of the street in Barra de Navidad link.

Mudslides, flash floods down arroyos and other bad things can affect an area a lot worse than what generalized reports may suggest.

I fear for La Manzanilla, to El Tecuan. Visions of tornado-like destruction haunt my thoughts. I can only hope I am dead wrong on this. I spent years in this area so things are personal for me.

rocmoc wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:

IMHO No matter what it takes DieselBurps, when you feel the first gusts of storm wind,

maneuver your rig endwise to the wind, even if you have to block aisles and unplug to do it. Do not allow the wind to hit you on the beam.

Also AGREE! Have had to do this twice in West Texas & Southern New Mexico and you are in Worst conditions than I was.

Put the ship into the wind!

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

X3
I did this in west Memphis where a tornado actually touched down in the CG. Those that took the hit sideways flipped. Those of us that unhooked and backed out in the aisle didn't. The CG didn't have shelters and it came up quick with just minutes notice as tornadoes do.

I sure would NOT ever stay inside an RV during a hurricane.

Hurricane forecasts give 'plenty' of notice to get out of dodge. There really is no reason to be caught in a hurricane in an RV. You have 'days' to get out of the area if one heeds the noaa reports.

Our prayers go out to all the RV campers in Mexico and Texas that they stay safe.

bighatnohorse wrote:
Would you say that this whole thing has been overblown?

Only for those that think any tragedy is an overblown event. The damage is horrendous and the devastation to the area is NOT overblown.

If anyone gets news of Punta Perula please post it. Thanks.

Jesus just talked to SSP 30 miles north of Lazaro. Cops say road is chopped in so many places no one has an idea of how bad, yet. The gigantic steel mill in Lazaro Cardenas has punch with gobernacion. Jesus says Marinas Helicopters have been passing overhead since dawn - lots of them. They are assisting isolated residents and mapping the derrumbles the slide area. No trailered equipment yet but north from Lazaro to Maruata and south from Manzanillo to Maruata has been the custom in past storms.

The bad damage is Mex 200 to the north Puerto Vallarta to Manzanillo/Tecoman. Myself, I would want to wait a few days for confirmed info from the government. PASSENGER BUS COMPANIES have access to information we mortals do not. A call to the bus station say ESTRELLA BLANCA which is a big one and ask if tickets can be purchased to X.

27" of rain in 3 days reported my son in law. I put in three gauges so the figure is likely to not be a gross error.

The SCT is a master at cleanup improvisation. Two more days will bring about-near-miracles in road opening.

In heavy rain area from the school of hard knocks..
Fuel up only in brand new gasolineras that have fuel dump ports set in concrete pads. Look for the pads. You don't need to take on a bunch of rain water. :)