Hurricane Dean swept
across southeastern Mexico in late August, descending on the
Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 5 storm -- the strongest hurricane
to hit land in the Atlantic region in nearly 20 years.
Dean made landfall near the town of
Majahual -- more than 200 miles south of Cancun -- and caused heavy
damage to Costa Maya, a small resort area and port for cruise
ships. But the more densely populated tourism centers of Cancun,
the Riviera Maya and the island of Cozumel were spared the
hurricane’s destruction. In 2005, hurricanes Emily and Wilma hit
those areas hard, and many hotels and resorts had only recently
reopened for business when Dean arrived.
But the destruction of 2005 also was an
opportunity to rebuild, according to Arturo Escaip, director of the
Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau, resulting in “stronger
structures, built to withstand storms of greater intensity.” The
Presidente InterContinental, for example, invested US$33 million in
its properties in Cancun and Cozumel, both of which suffered
significant damage from Wilma. Improvements include reinforced
windows and walls and revamped evacuation plans.
Dean provided sufficient warning for
hotels and local government to activate contingency plans. “Cozumel
was well prepared,” said Raul Marrufo, director of the Cozumel
Tourism Promotion board, who said that, in large part, hurricane
preparedness is ingrained in the culture. “For two centuries, the
people of Cozumel have been living with hurricanes,” he explained.
“Six months out of the year, we are dealing with something
hurricane-related.”
In the days leading up to Dean,
Cozumel’s Hurricane Preparedness Committee worked closely with
airlines and tour companies to evacuate about 90 percent of the
more than 5,000 tourists who were on the island. Three of Cozumel’s
hotels, having recently been officially certified as hurricane
shelters, were able to keep guests and offer temporary lodging to
others.
The Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa
Resort, which suffered no structural damage from Dean, took no
chances, evacuating guests beginning a few days before the storm
hit. Many guests were bused to the Hilton Villahermosa, 10 hours
away, in part to avoid the congestion of Cancun International
Airport.
“With Wilma,” noted a Hilton
spokesperson, “guests were evacuated to a shelter, and then bused
to Villahermosa. We learned to do this ahead of time. We would
rather be safe than sorry.”