Alamos hit hard by Norbert.

Hurricane Norbert came ashore on mainland Mexico near Yavaros, Sonora. There's no doubt that Yavaros, Huatabampo and Huatabampito have sustained damage. The main news I'm finding though is about major flooding that roared through Alamos in the hills above Navojoa. Sadly, the press is reporting that four people lost their lives.

Here' a link to some photos of the damage in Alamos.

The road from Navojoa to Alamos was damaged, but El Imparcial, the Hermosillo paper, is reporting that the road is now open (barely) to allow emergency relief vehicles to get to the town.

Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this disaster.

Hurricane Norbert, can I ask you a favor?

There's a lot of wind and a few clouds showing up here in Tucson today and it makes me think of Hurricane Norbert (although I doubt they are related.) Right now, Norbert is heading for southern Baja and the National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Warning for the west coast of southern Baja. The storm is then projected to cross over the peninsula and hit mainland Mexico as a tropical storm somewhere between Topolobampo and Guaymas.

Now I certainly hope Mexico is spared devastation from Norbert and I'm really asking Norbert to please, please spare Guaymas. Not just because I'm concerned for the residents, including my new blogging friends Brenda and Roy. I also don't know if I could live with the guilt.

You see, my family and I have a "hurricane attraction" track record. Several places we have traveled to, have been subsequently nailed by devastating hurricanes. To wit:

1988. Category 5 Hurricane Gilbert causes massive destruction as it slams into Cozumel and the Yucatan Peninsula, 14 months after Julie and I rambled around there during our honeymoon. From what we hear, one of the places we stayed at in Playa del Carmen is destroyed.

2002. Category 4 Hurricane Kenna damages or destroys 95 percent of the buildings in San Blas, Nayarit, 13 months after Julie, Ginger and I left the village. The Hotel Garza Canela, where we stayed, apparently survived.

2004. Hurricane Frances hits the Bahamas as a Category 3, 13 months after our trip through Exuma and Nassau.

2005. One month after we had yielded to desire (okay, played the role as jazz-loving, cocktail-sipping tourists) in the French Quarter, Hurricane Katrina blasts New Orleans as a Category 3.

2005. Two months after we had spent the night socializing with locals in Holly Beach, Louisiana, Hurricane Rita scored a bulls-eye on the little vacation village. The town was completely obliterated. Gone.

2006. Hurricane John hits southern Baja as a Category 2. Two weeks earlier, Julie and I had been about 300 miles north of where it made landfall. (I know that's pretty far away but hey, when you've got a pattern going it's hard to let go).

2007. We went fishing in the White Mountains of Arizona.

However, and this is point, we were in Guaymas at the end of December, 2007. I really shouldn't be admitting this.