Hurricane Wilma was a very destructive hurricane killing at least 13 people in Haiti and Mexico. As a category 5 hurricane, Wilma devastated the Yucatan Peninsula and portions of Florida causing billions of dollars in damages.
Several video clips of the hurricane devastation are available. Depending on your internet connection, each file may take a few moments to open. Some videos are courtesy of “Hurricane Wilma Cancun”.
The following Information was contributed by: Alena Reznickova-Jimenez
In what country do you live?
I live in the United States.
What is the date of the incident?
The hurricane was on approximately October 20th 2005. It was hurricane Wilma at its strongest.
What was the hardest part of surviving hurricane Wilma?
Not having anything to eat and thinking you might die for 2 days was the hardest part.
Did you lose anything, and if so, what did you lose?
I lost nothing but gained courage.
In the Eye: A Hurricane Survival Story
Finally the hurricane attacked with full force. The winds were screaming, the glass panes bending in as if they were made out of wax paper. Earlier in the day I tried to record the hell that broke lose because I did not think anyone would believe the wind alone could make such noises, but I was beyond that point now – I did not dare to come to the windows...The wind was growing ever stronger; the gusts were resonating in my tortured ears, the raising air pressure threatening to pierce my eardrums any moment now. I pulled a pillow over my head and desperately fought for a few minutes of shut eye which would be more than welcome; it being the second night of this never-ending hurricane, but it was not meant to be tonight. We thought the worse was behind us, but it was just the proximity of the eye of the hurricane that subdued the winds for a couple of blissful hours. Now the beast was coming back at us, pounding the windows and sliding glass doors with renewed energy.
When the next gust arrived and the pressure on the window and door panes would not subside for several minutes at a stretch, I got a feeling they would break imminently and I woke my husband up: “Honey, I think now is the time to go sit in the bathtub and wait it out there. He mumbled something in the sense of “Don’t worry, everything will be O.K.,” and drifted off again. Apparently he was not to be driven out of his bed even by a category 4, close to category 5 storm called Wilma that has so importunately arrived to Playa del Carmen to spoil our 5-year anniversary vacation fun, so far filled with swimming, lying on the beach, enjoying food and drinks and then some more food and drinks.
Getting the News...
It was Tuesday night when we first heard the news about Wilma and the hotel staff gave an air of assurance: “Don’t worry, this is a hurricane only, not a tornado, just wind and rain, and besides, the hotel buildings are built to withstand any hurricane including this one which may not even hit us after all, they do change direction all the time.” The boy at the front desk jokingly covered with his hand the print-out with hurricane information and proclaimed with a big smile: “It’s just a baby!” – meaning the hurricane, of course.
What a baby! Breaking the limbs of every tree in sight with its forceful breath, piercing my ears with its shrilling cries, this baby was really living it up. I did not want to imagine what the mother would be like… In the meantime, we would just have to buckle up and take the ride one bump at a time… and there were to be many.
The electricity went out around noon on Friday, but it did not start bothering us until it got dark and we realized that with no windows in the bathroom the most ordinary physical necessity just became a feat in itself. Feeling my way to the toilet in the pitch-black bathroom, I came closest I have ever been to understanding the tremendous vulnerability of those living in permanent darkness and experienced a new appreciation for my pair of functioning, albeit very nearsighted eyes.
No Food Left to Eat...
Friday night I ate my second (and last) apple from our package that was supposed to tie us over the breakfast and possibly lunch (they were expecting to serve dinner as usual that day) and with self-pity thought about the lobster dinner I was supposed to be enjoying in one of the seafood restaurants in town at about this time as it was my birthday. I really did not like my present from Mother Nature even though I was sure I would never forget it. I could already sense this hurricane was memorable in more than one way. It was strong, very strong, and by now I already suspected it would become one of the strongest and longest-staying hurricanes on record.
I put my package away, saving the last piece – a kiwi – for the morning. I didn’t know if we were to get more food or not and the thought of going through the whole day with nothing to eat at all made me uncomfortable. I washed a couple of pairs of underwear and hung them on the bathroom rail hoping they would dry before I would need them.
Then I laid down and wished we had more candles so I could read the only magazine I had over again. I don’t fall asleep easily and I love reading in bed until my eyelids get pleasantly heavy, I drop the book and the sweet sleep overcomes me until the next day arrives. With no light, I just closed my eyes shut and wished I could do so with my ears - the wind has already reached a nearly unbearable strength. Some time after midnight the gods of sleep took pity on me and carried me away. Read more on page 2...
