Living in Los Cabos: Have a Safe Storm

I just got off the phone with a good friend who was livid (thankfully, not at me). I think the source of her anger is important enough to warrant a blog about safety in Cabo. Tourists need to be aware of the safety issues. Like my friend, I’m less worried about the possibility that discussing them might deter someone from vacationing here than I am about a tourist getting sick or worse.
First, as I’ve mentioned before, Cabo is incredibly safe. In fact, I recently saw a report that said it is the second safest municipality in all of Mexico. Which is certainly re-assuring. But there are hazards here, and today Los Cabos is experiencing one of them: Tropical Storm Erick. I love the storm (hey, it’s been nine or ten long months of perfect weather…we’re ready for some variety). But I also respect the storm. Currently he’s fifty miles offshore, probably as close as he’s going to get. He giving us a cool, cloudy, windy day with some much-needed rain. That’s all the good news. The bad news is that even from a distance a tropical storm can create very dangerous surf conditions. You don’t want to be anywhere near the beach on days like this: there can be rogue waves that come much higher than you thought and which have been known to sweep the unprepared tourist out to sea. If a rogue wave doesn’t get you, a dangerous riptide might. Your best bet on a stormy day is to find something to do indoors even if, as is the case as is right now, there is no rain falling. Isn’t that why God gave us shopping malls?
And although it might seem like a fun thing, stay far away from the water flooding the downtown streets. This was the point my friend was trying to make. That water isn’t safe, either. Downtown Cabo San Lucas is the lowest point in the area. And, although I could swear I saw a giant storm sewer going in when they redid the streets, there aren’t any grates. So even with a tiny bit of rain the streets will flood. And where does all that water come from? Of course, the high ground. And what’s on the high ground? Yes, homes. In some cases barrios (yes, there are poor neighborhoods in Cabo, the average tourist never sees them). By the time the water arrives at the tourist zone it is, ahem, not specifically clean. In fact, it’s icky. As in: carrying contagion.You want to avoid contact with the water, and with the dust that will blow around when the mud dries out.
This is why our city will hop on cleaning up the mess the second it becomes safe to do so. They know the health safety implications and want to protect both citizens and visitors. In the meantime you may want to be cautious about eating or drinking at outdoor restaurants. If you absolutely can’t avoid that, at least use one with an indoor kitchen. If you think a little rain is ruining your vacation think how wonderful getting sick would be. And don’t worry, the sun will be shining on us again soon.

Carol Billups is Broker/Owner of Cabo Realty Pros. She has enjoyed working with both buyers and sellers for over twelve years and still thinks hers is the best job on earth. She is also the real estate columnist for Los Cabos Magazine. You can read more of her articles on the website blog http://www.caborealtypros.com. You can reach her from the U.S. or Canada at 1-760-481-7694, or in Cabo at 044-624-147-7541. You can listen to our 24/7 broadcast on http://www.livecabo.net for a mix of happy music, weather reports and local information.

© 2013 Carol S. Billups

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