News from Las Galeras
OK, I finally got through at lunchtime today, although according to Yanett the phones have been on and off for the last couple of days and she has tried phoning.
Good news, they are all right, but they?ve been through a hell of an experience, with their house flooding up to waist level, and branches falling all over the property. Luckily there has been minimal damage. They?ve managed to save most of their posessions except for some videos and books, the vehicles are OK but the garden is a mess. They have almost finished clearing up, including getting rid of several truckloads of debris from the garden.
I was amazed by Yanett?s spirit. She sounded upbeat and cheerful but said it was a weird feeling experiencing just how vulnerable people can be when nature does its stuff. Yanett told me she felt they had got off lightly compared to many of the locals who had lost everything and were left ?con una mano alante y el otro atras? i.e. without a thing, not even the clothes on their backs.
Las Galeras is a mess, she said, but there is a lot of clearing up going on. Much of the damage was done inland. In fact the women who sell seafood in a hut on the beach were not badly affected. The large resort near Las Galeras, Casa Marina Bay, is having to close down for about a month due to the damage, according to Yanett, but please don?t take this as a confirmation - check with tour operators for definite information. She has taken some digital photos of the damage and will try and send them, apparently the internet cafe there has been opening for just a couple of hours at a time.
It is also good to hear - as predicted by the friends of Las Galeras who posted on this thread - that the expats and locals are rallying around to help with the clearing-up work and organising collections for people who have lost their belongings. We will be visiting soon and will take some stuff up as well.