Monterrey, Mexico July 2010--Hurricane Alex
Though we were not here when this hurricane swept through Monterrey taking bridges, roads, houses, and landmarks with it, we see its effects every day. The damages were estimated at $1.885 billion dollars and the word "hurricane" puts the city and its citizens on high alert.
The two largest freeways in the city hug the Santa Catarina river. Due to the damage from "Alex," the road on the north side of the river is now one-way going west, and the road on the south is one-way going east. Google maps still doesn't know about this exciting change and routes all interested travelers down the wrong side of the freeway. This phenomenon is repeated in GPS systems throughout the city, making travel a thrill a minute.
Monterrey, Mexico September 2013--Hurricane Ingrid
Fast forward three years and you have Hurricane Ingrid. The huge impact from this storm was on the east coast of Mexico, especially in the Tampico area. Monterrey, though hit hard--especially in the citrus growing areas--was relatively unharmed this time around in comparison. After nearly 15 days of constant rain, the geography began to take on a whole new look.
River: Rio de la Silla
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| The swimming hole before ... |
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| ... And after Ingrid |
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| The river walk before... |
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| ...And after Ingrid |
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| The river bed before... |
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| ...And after Ingrid. |
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| The "Dam" in the river, which isn't stopping anything anymore... |
Around town:
Everything is wet! We had to walk at the mall and discovered many, many pails, buckets and large garbage cans catching the rain water.
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| Front: catching leaks; Back: buying the new "Grand Theft Auto" video game |
Since everything, everywhere is wet and constantly dripping these days, we weren't surprised by the leaks in the mall roof. We were surprised, however, to see the aerial artist swinging around like Spiderman on ropes and pulleys as he fixed the leaks in the ceiling of the shopping center.
Driving around town became slow, wet, and difficult. It was especially exciting driving around the geysers blowing up from the manholes in the streets. Sunday and Monday the schools and many businesses were closed because of the combination Independence Day holiday and Hurricane Ingrid. The following photo was taken on Tuesday, after the brunt of the storm had passed.
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| About 4-inches of water on the well-drained streets |
Today we are celebrating! The hurricane has passed. The roads are mostly drained and open. The sun is shining--a perfect thing for a Sunday!
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