Cozumel Hurricane - Here is how to help

[Christi]

I just wanted to give a quick update to all of you...particularly the donors out there.

I am still in the process of assessing needs and have been in contact with most dive shops and several independent/freelancers. I am still waiting to hear back from many dive shops so that I know exactly what I'm dealing with.

I have a handful of people earmarked and would like to give them their envelopes tomorrow or Monday. These people either had damage to their homes, still have no electricity, have been/will be without work for awhile, several were specifically requested by the donor(s), etc. There will be a full report with more info about each of these people at a later date

Earmarked:
Raul - Bottom Time divers - owner/DM
Manolo - Caribbean Divers/freelancer - DM
Gabriel - Deep Blue - DM
Javier - BXTS/freelancer - Instructor/DM (distributed today)
Allen - freelancer DM/Instructor
Carlos (2 Carlos') - Dive Paradise - Instructors
Jaime - Dive Paradise - DM
Marianno - boat captain
Moses - Liquid Blue - boat captain
Diego - Sand Dollar Sports - Instructor
Nacho - Dive Paradise - DM
Nacho - Scuba Du - Instructor
Kate - Dressel - Instructor
Ramon - Blue Angel
Santos - Dive Paradise - DM
Some DWM DM's/captains whose names I am still trying to clarify
Mago - BXTS - boat captain (distributed today)
Juan Carlos - boat captain
Pedro Pablo - BXTS - DM

Thank you all again for your generosity. If you donated and don't see yor favorite DM/Instructor/boat captain on the list, send an e-mail to cozumelrelief@yahoo.com

Have a great weekend!

 

[Christi]

Someone asked on the other board, so I of course want to share this with you as well since many of you were generous donors...

A total of $2038.00 has been received!!!

I have distrubuted about 1/3 of the funds so far and over the past few days have finally been able to get contact information for those instructors/DM's/captains/marineros who are actually out of work. Those out of work for the next month or two are obviously my primary focus at this point, although there are some who had severe water and/or wind damage to their homes who are also on the recipient list. An e-mail was sent out to all the dive shops, and i also made several phone calls and personal visits for those I could not locate e-mail addresses for or who were still having phone/power issues. Now that everyone's phones and power is restored, the information is more forthcoming

Some donors named specific recipients for their donations, so they will also be on the list.

This has been a very difficult task trying to get the message out and locate these people really in need, but it has been very rewarding as well when I make contact with them and explain what you have all done. Special THANKS to Johnoly for setting this up!

One boat captain literally cried when I gave him his envelope and could not stop thanking me a/k/a all of the donors.

Just to give you an idea...

Dressel dive employees (Iberostar Resort) are out of work for at least three to four months.

Dive Palancar employees are out until the Allegro and/or Occidental Grand open back up, 3 weeks to a few months

Sand Dollar instructors and divemasters who are based at the Reef Club are out of work until it reopens, estimated reopen date is September 1st.

I also just heard today that Dive House is not currently running trips until Fiesta Americana opens back up in a week or two, but I have not confirmed this yet.

SOME of those out of work will continue to receive their base salaries from their employers, but remember that most of their income comes from tips as well as a per trip or per head commission/bonus from the shop. Base salaries are usually not enough for them to get by on.

Johnoly will be putting a recipient page on the website with pictures of the recipients (for those that are ok with having thier picture displayed), names, where they work, position, and a summary of their situation. I am sending him this information as the funds are distributed.

On behalf of these people in need, there truly are no words to describe their gratitude! Divers really are a special group of people!

 

[Martha]

Christi, thanks for the update and for all the work you've put into making it happen. You and Johnoly ROCK!

 

[Johnoly]

Christi and I have put a page on the website with the recipients on the website. Also there is a list of the divers who helped clean up the reefs. On the website look on the left hand side bar and click on "Recipients" link.

I think we were over $2100 at last count for donations, but I'll let Christi update that.

Thank you again for Divers Helping Divers

http://www.cozumelrelief.com/

 

[Christi]

I want to give a special thanks to Johnoly for taking the proactive approach to setting this fund up. With his compassion and support, and the generous donations of so many of you, many Cozumel dive workers can rest a little easier knowing that they can feed their families and make necessary repairs to their homes.

The total received was $2088, which went a long way for the people who needed it. The list Johnoly has is not complete yet, as I need to send him some updates, and there are still a few more that haven't yet picked up their money.

Most affected were the resort based instructors and captains, and the freelance DM's and instructors, so these are the people I gave the primary focus to. These people do not have base salaries and are paid based on how many students they have or how many trips they take out. Some of them have been able to secure jobs here and there, but with the island being very slow right now due to all of the cancellations, picking up trips and certifications from other shops is a real challenge for them. In addition to the lack of income from employers, they are also losing out on any tip money that they may receive while working. So you can see that this has been financially devastating to them.

The Dive Palancar Instructors at the Occidental Grand are now back to work, but those based at Iberostar, Allegro, and Reef Club are still having a hard time.

As I said, the focus started with those who are out of work due to their closed resorts, and for those who had damage to their homes. Once those needs were determined, I distributed funds to the DM's, captains, and Instructors who were specifically mentioned by donors. I also wanted to show appreciation to those DM's, Instructors and captains who volunteered hours of their time to clean the reefs in preparation for our guest divers’ return. I spent four days diving and mingling with some of these people, and those who were there, were there with their hearts and passion for the reefs. They are some truly wonderful people and you all will be lucky to dive with any of them! There are also some volunteers who have not yet been named, but that is because I am still trying to gather ALL the names. I’ll provide an updated list ASAP.

I would also like to give special thanks to Apple and her wonderful crew of Dive Paradise, Martin and his awesome crew members, Debbie of Deep Blue and her crew that showed up to help, my incredible crew, and again a few other independents that I need to find names for.

There is still a little left in the fund ($350 if my calculations prove correct), so my plan is to give a smaller second round to those who continue to be out of work.

The latest updates I have for hotel reopenings are:
Reef Club - August 19
Allegro - November 1 (possibly a week or two earlier)
Iberostar - December 1

One final observation. I have more respect for the people of Cozumel, Cayman Islands, Florida, Jamaica and Cuba now than ever before. You had my support last year, and you will have it again in years to come when in need. We all choose in our own rights to live in “hurricane alley” but it doesn’t take away the physical and emotional pain for those so greatly affected by these acts of nature. Support and compassion from others in non-affected areas during these times of natural disaster is more appreciated than you may be able to imagine.

Once again, a very sincere thank you to Johnoly and all of you that so generously donated to the people of our little island and to those of you who sent prayers and followed the storm with us before, during, and after. As Wiz said in a post after Emily, “faith moves mountains” and it truly did here in Cozumel!