Hurricane Wilma Strikes Cancun

On 21 and 22 October 2005 Hurricane Wilma made a direct strike on Cancun causing severe damage.

Hurricane Wilma is the most powerful hurricane ever recorded and completely decimated the Cancun tourist industry for around 6 months.

Many hotels were damaged, some beyond repair. Shops, bars and restaurants suffered flooding and structural damage. Downtown infrastructure was decimated, with power lines down and residents without electricity or water for over a week in some cases.

However, the resilience and determination of the Mexican people together with unprecedented support from the Mexican Government ensured that Cancun came back better than ever.

A huge beach recovery program took place restoring the beaches to a condition better than before Wilma hit. Unfortunately this wasn't too successfull and most of the sand washed away again within a year. The exercise was then repeated in 2010 and this time the sand stayed!

Hoteliers and restaurateurs turned the downtime opportunity to their advantage and brought forward longer term plans to upgrade and improve facilities resulting in today's Cancun being way improved on the Cancun of 2005.

The video shown here is the promotional video Coco Bongo used for several months upon reopening. It truly captures the ferocity of Wilma, and still brings me out in goose bumps every time I watch it. More Hurricane Wilma Videos here.

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