USFS PROPOSAL TO OFDA FOR WILDFIRE PREVENTION AND PREPAREDNESS IN QUINTANA ROO

In October 2005 Hurricane Wilma struck the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Cancun area as a Category 4 hurricane.  A cold front from the north stalled the hurricane over the area for a total of 62 hours while winds battered structures, eroded beaches and flattened a swath of forest estimated to cover over 850,000 hectares.  Over 10,000 homes were badly damage or destroyed and the damage to infrastructure and the tourism industry is estimated in the billions due to lost property and business.  In the wake of the storm disaster relief arrived to feed, cloth and repair the housing of people in the area. Because tourism is the dominant income generator in the region, rehabilitation efforts focused on power lines and communication systems repair, and hotel and beach reconstruction. Government, private insurance and multilateral donors contributed their resources to the effort. While early efforts were directed towards hotel repair and the restoration of services, the heavy debris that surrounds the hotel complexes, mangroves and coastline continue to threaten the long-term viability of the tourism industry.