PLEASE STAY HOME!

Yes, the Jalisco-Colima coast was badly hit by Hurricane Patricia, and yes, the storms are moving across northern Mexico, and yes, I understand the impulse among foreigners in the tourist communities near the affected zones to help but…

… having been through a natural disaster (the Des Moines flood of 1993) — while I was co-incidentally recovering from a serious illness, on disability and not supposed to be out tossing sandbags (though I was) — I know that no matter how much one might think “just loading up the car and bringing supplies” might be a good idea, it is not.

Residents walk through the debris of homes destroyed by Hurricane Patricia, in Chamela, Mexico, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Record-breaking Patricia pushed rapidly inland over mountainous western Mexico early Saturday, weakening to tropical storm force while dumping torrential rains that authorities warned could cause deadly floods and mudslides. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Are the roads open, and are you going to be tying up traffic needed to ferry in supplies and transport injured people out of the affected zone?  Do you know what supplies are actually needed (and is it just guesswork, or have you contacted the local Protección Civil people (for that matter, are you even aware of what Protección Civil does in this country)?  Do you speak idiomatic Spanish (or the minority languages spoken in some communities)?  How are you planning to feed and cloth yourself during your visit?  Are you, as a visitor in an area where basics may be in short supply depriving those in need of their necessities?  What is your real motive… your karma or theirs?

Communities throughout Mexico will be setting up supply dumps, with a list of needed items.  DO NOT LOAD UP YOUR PRIVATE VEHICLE, but do load up your communal collection.

Give to Cruz Roja Mexicana.

Stay home.