Hurricane Lidia Relief for La Cruz de Loreto

Hi, my name is Elise and I am raising funds for La Cruz de Loreto after the devastation the people have suffered from Hurricane Lidia on October 10th. This was the third largest hurricane to ever hit Mexico, and the worst natural disaster the area has seen in a century. Unfortunately, there has been little media coverage regarding the areas south of Puerto Vallarta affected by the hurricane, as news outlets claim the coastline to be "scarcely populated" which couldn't be further from the truth.

Nearly every structure in La Cruz de Loreto was damaged by the hurricane, and 90% of people's homes were left without roofs, destroyed and uninhabitable. Since Tuesday, many families have been left homeless and forced to temporarily relocate to other areas just to find shelter. Aside from the devastation to homes, the hurricane also took people's cars, businesses, and ranches down with it. Sadly, a majority of the town's livestock has died, the crops were flooded and the devastation to the land will have likely have lasting impacts on La Cruz's farming and agriculture for decades. The power still has yet to be restored in many towns in Tomatlán municipal district, including La Cruz, which has significantly diminished their food rations. Highway 200, which is the main road that connects the city to Tomatlán, has also been destroyed by massive landslides and flooding, so getting resources to the smaller towns has been nearly impossible. The situation is extremely urgent and is getting more desperate each day.

I have been to this town many times over the past few years and can say that I have met some of the most noble, kind, and honorable people in La Cruz de Loreto. They have always been so welcoming to me and treat me as one of their own even though I was not born there or of Mexican descent. My boyfriend and his mother were born and raised in La Cruz, and in the past few years I have been able to call this town home as I have become more involved with their community and culture. La Cruz is a town full of happiness and joy that welcomes anyone who is willing to embrace it, and to see it devastated this badly and the wave of sadness that has followed is truly heartbreaking.

The money raised from this fundraiser will be used to help rebuild the homes, businesses, and infrastructure of La Cruz de Loreto. Our first trip out to La Cruz is planned for 10/22, in which our beneficiary Patricia Jimenez, my boyfriend's mother, will handle the logistics of replacing/repairing the roofs of as many homes as possible with the funds we have received thus far. This is our first priority given that people are in desperate need of shelter from the elements. Since communication is still sparse with our family members because of the lack of power, our beneficiary will be able to get a quantifiable measure of the number of homes that were damaged and to what extent, which will shape our action plan going forward. After addressing the issue with damages houses, we will work to provide food and essential resources to the town, as much of their resources were depleted due to the power outages. With enough support from future donors, we hope to extend our help to the town's businesses and agricultural infrastructure systems that were destroyed by the hurricane.

Hopefully with the help of all of you, we can prevent the permanent displacement of La Cruz citizens by restoring the town to the beauty and prosperity it possessed before this disaster.

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Hola, mi nombre es Elise, y estoy recaudando fondos para La Cruz de Loreto después de la devastación que la gente ha sufrido tras el paso del huracán Lidia por la costa de Jalisco en el día 10 de Octubre. Este fue el tercer huracán mas grande que ha afectado a Mexico y el peor desastre natural que la region ha visto en mas de un siglo. Lamentablemente, ha habido poca cobertura mediática respectó a las areas al sur de Puerto Vallarta afectadas por el huracán, ya que los medios de comunicación afirman que la costa esta en buenos estados para tratar de liberarse de la responsabilidad que es lo mas lejos de la realidad. La realidad es que hay mucha destrucción y muchas personas que han perdido sus vidas que con tanto esfuerzo han creado.

Casi todas las estructuras en La Cruz De Loreto resultaron dañadas por el huracán, y el 90% de las viviendas quedaron sin techos, destruidas e inhabitables. Mas importante las escuelas y centros han sido destruidos afectando la estructura del pueblito. Desde el martes, muchas familias se han quedado sin hogar y se han visto obligadas a mudarse temporalmente a otras areas a buscar refugio. Además de la devastación en las viviendas, el huracán se llevó los vehículos, negocios y ranchos de la gente. Lamentablemente, la mayoría los ingresos del pueblo han sido dañados, los cultivos fueron inundados y la devastación en la tierra tendrá un impacto en la agricultura de La Cruz durante décadas. La electricidad aun no ha sido restaurada en muchas localidades del municipio de Tomatlán, incluyendo La Cruz, lo que ha reducido significativamente el suministro de alimentos. La Carretera 200, que es la principal via que conecta el municipio de Tomatlán, también fue destruida por grandes deslizamientos de tierra e inundaciones, por lo que ha sido casi imposible llevar recursos a los pueblitos que se encuentran. La situación es extremadamente urgente y se vuelve más desesperada cada día.

He visitado este pueblo muchas veces en los últimos años y puedo decir que he conocido algunas de las personas más nobles, amables y honorables en La Cruz de Loreto. Siempre me han recibido con los brazos abiertos y me tratan como uno de los suyos, a pesar de que no nací allí ni tengo ascendencia mexicana. Este es un pueblo lleno de alegría y felicidad que recibe a cualquiera dispuestos abrazarla, y verlo devastado de esta manera y la ola de tristeza que ha seguido es verdaderamente desgarrador.

El dinero recaudado en esta campaña se utilizará para reconstruir las viviendas, negocios e infraestructura de La Cruz de Loreto. Con su ayuda, esperamos evitar el desplazamiento permanente de los ciudadanos de La Cruz, restaurando el pueblo a la belleza y prosperidad que poseía antes de este desastre.

Lets come together and help La Cruz de Loreto and its people!!