Hurricanes | Cayo Largo, Cuba

Hurricane Michelle ... and the others!

Cayo Largo is a low-relief coral island, so it goes without saying that when a major hurricane strikes this tiny island, the damage can be significant. But fortunately, no loss of life has been reported so far thanks to their monitoring and evacuation program for tourists and staff (remember that Cayo Largo is a resort island without permanent residents). The hurricane season in the Caribbean officially extends from June to November, but historically the riskier months are from August to October.

Other than property damage, the passage of hurricanes and tropical storms also affect the beaches, as well as the fauna and flora of the island. Beach erosion is particularly noticeable and more frequent in the eastern parts of the island (more especially in the sector of Playa Blanca and on the east side of Playa Lindarena). While the western beaches are historically more stable and are recovering faster after hurricanes and storms. See here a Map of Cayo Largo's beaches

As a result, the beaches of the hotel zone, especially those on the east side, have become somewhat unstable over the years due to erosion caused by storm events. In this sector, it's not uncommon to see the strip of sand periodically disappear underwater (partially or totally) after strong winds, high surf or tide shifts. Bur fortunately, Cayo Largo has 25 km or beaches, so there are always nice strips of sand nearby!

Michelle

The infamous hurricane Michelle deserves a page on its own: Hurricane Michelle, follow this link for a detailed chronology of this devastating event, to see pictures, and for a description of the valiant efforts undertaken to revive this small tourist pole. Michelle is the strongest (category 4) and most devastating hurricane to have hit the island since its tourist development. It striked Cayo Largo on November 4, 2001.

Since Michelle, a few other hurricanes and storms of lesser intensity have hit Cayo Largo (and the region). The summer of 2005 was particularly intense almost everywhere in the Caribbean, especially because of the record number of hurricanes in a same season; some of which affected Cayo Largo. The 2008 season was also particularly disastrous, with hurricane Gustav hitting Isla de la Juventud (more details below), and other major hurricanes that hit several other areas of Cuba. The Autumn of 2017 also brings its share of misfortune in several Cuban regions, due to the devastating hurricanes Irma and Maria, the latter however affected very little Cayo Largo.

Gustav

This major hurricane (reaching Category 5) did not directly hit Cayo Largo and did not cause as much damage as Hurricane Michelle did in 2001. On the other hand, it was horribly devastating in the nearby Isla de la Juventud (Island of Youth), where live the majority of Cubans working in Cayo Largo. Fidel Castro even said at the time that the state of damage was similar to those that would have caused a nuclear explosion! See here one of the many videos showing the fury of the hurricane and the state of the damage.

Hurricane Gustav disaster relief

Following the passage of Gustav, a wave of solidarity was set up through our Discussion Forum on Cayo Largo (and also our forum on Cayo Santa Maria). Forum members, Cayo Largo regulars, and Cuba lovers, mobilized to help the victims of Isla de la Juventud. The forum has served and is still regularly being use as a means of communication to help Cubans; including in 2001-2002 the exchange of information on the reconstruction and restructuring of the tourist pole of Cayo Largo following Hurricane Michelle.

Dubois Charitable Foundation (www.duboischaritablefoundation.com)
This is a not for profit organization which provides much needed humanitarian aid in the form of medical equipment and supplies, as well as clothing, bedding, footwear, and household goods to the people of Cuba. The foundation has shipped dozens of sea-going containers to Cuba, with materials to assist hurricane victims, the sick, the elderly, expectant mothers, mentally and/or physically handicapped persons, people on social assistance, and children's sports.

In the fall of 2008, an initiative of our Forums' members helped to raise funds for the benefit of the Dubois Foundation, in order to help them finance the shipment of a container to Isla de la Juventud, filled with building materials, clothing, furniture, household items, hygiene products, etc.

Hurricane Disaster Relief T-shirt As a first step, a fundraiser was organized via our Discussion Forum.
Subsequently, a t-shirt symbolizing Canada-Cuba Solidarity was designed and printed. The donations received and the profit on t-shirts sales were donated to the Dubois Foundation, which enabled them to send one extra container to Cuba!

A BIG THANK YOU to all who participated in this beautiful humanitarian project that brought happiness, comfort and relief in this time of distress. Once again Canadians have shown by their generosity that they care about the well-being of the Cuban people! Unidos, Todos Juntos ... ¡Amigos para Siempre!

Here is a message from Mr. John Dubois expressing his gratitude for the generosity of the forum's members ...

« We have received a very generous donation from the Cayo Largo board members to help in our efforts to make life better for our Cuban friends. It is nothing short of wonderful to feel the warmth of people on this board and their true love for the people of Cuba. We are so impressed with the tremendous response, and the way in which you have welcomed us and our cause into your community. We are blessed to be part of your family, and we thank you for opening your arms to us. Your kindness in large part will enable us to ship one extra container. In turn that makes an incredible difference in so many lives. Think about what you have done here: you have made the World a little bit better with your caring and your willingness to 'adopt' strangers (we at the Foundation) and to risk sending your support. We promise that we'll never forget your kindness. Merci. »