Jimena

Jimena – One Year Later

Labor Day weekend 2009 Jimena came to town. Downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm, it didn’t make the national news. It did however devastate the lives and landscape of San Carlos and the surrounding communities.

In an area which typically receives a mere 2-3 inches of rain annually, this 100 year storm sat off our coast for 30 hours delivering 35 inches of rain. The enormous amount of water became a deadly force; roads, bridges, homes and lives were washed away. Flatlands became arroyos, arroyos became rivers, and the San Carlos Golf Course became a lake.

The Mexican army cut new roads to allow access to the area. Aid in the way of tents and water arrived. Immediately the Castaway Kids volunteers sprung into action. Calls went out for water, bedding, clothing, cookware, household items, food and money. Tirelessly the volunteers worked the devastated and already impoverished area of San Jose and other surrounding communities, distributing water, food, supplies and encouragement.

Our construction committee began the task of assessing each family’s loss, prioritizing by need. Families described their ordeal, many standing on the sole piece of concrete left from what was their home. They shared stories of loss, fear, panic and tears as the cold raging floodwaters washed away lives. One family of eight tied themselves to a large tree as the waste deep water surged. People were tangled in downed barbed wire, or injured by debris. There were stories of courageous rescues and complete devastation.

An enormous task awaited our all volunteer work staff as they began returning to San Carlos in the fall. Our goal was to get people off the ground and into shelters before winter. The cleanup and rebuilding began.

Between Castaway Kids, The Rotary Club and Sonora is Safe, funding received for the rebuilding exceeded $160,000. Families worked side by side with our volunteer staff building over 30 – 12’x 18’ houses, at a cost of approximately $2,000. We also replaced numerous roofs. As winter approached, the tents disappeared as families moved into their newly rebuilt homes.

After the storm the area beaches were littered with hundreds of starfish. Ironically, our Castaway Kids slogan is