Update 14: Watch the Flood Update Video at El Guamuchil here. A community united against adversity.
Update 13: Watch the Sayulita flooding Update video here. See how people are dealing with the flood, hear their stories.
Update 12: Learn how people are coping with the flood. Homes are lost, damages homes, loss of property. Read more at Today at the Flood Scene.
Update 11: September 10, 12:25 P.M. See our report on the current situation in Sayulita and PEACE relief for flood victims in the Bay of Banderas on the Recovery Efforts and Highway Updates page. Please note that this article will no longer be updated; all new updates will be posted on the Recovery Efforts and Highway Updates page.
Update 10: September 10, 9:30 A.M. After another landslide on Highway 200 at approximately midnight last night at Km 130, the highway was closed overnight. It was re-opened around 8:00 A.M. this morning.
Update 9: Thursday, September 9, 1:30 P.M. Proteccion Civil has informed us that crews are controlling traffic and are working to remove road debris that has fallen overnight on Highway 200. From 10:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M., people will be able to drive from Bucerias to Lo de Marcos, but you may have to wait in certain areas for cleanup crews. Delay times depend on the area and weather conditions.
Update 8: September 9, 11:53 A.M. Traffic is flowing through Highway 200 slowly, but moving. San Pancho's pedestrian bridge was re-established this morning. Many homes in Sayulita are damaged and some people are homeless.
Update 7: September 8, 2:27 P.M. Authorities are asking people to use Highway 200 only if necessary and to be extremely cautious. Traffic is moving very slowly. No large trucks allowed.
Update 6: September 8, 1:30 P.M. Highway 200 has been opened for small traffic. Repairs are still in progress, so people are urged to drive with extreme caution. It is expected to continue raining, and large trucks are not allowed through at this time. Trucks are still waiting, parked on the sides of the roads.
Update 5: September 8, 11:30 A.M. Roger Burten from Sayulita Investment Realty (SIR) and Gerardo Navarrete from Riviera Tours have given us some new updates:
The section of Highway 200 from Bucerias to Lo de Marcos and the alternate road from Higuera Blanca to Sayulita are still closed. All resources - 15 pieces of heavy machinery - are working nonstop on the section of Highway 200, since it is a bigger priority. There is no timeline as of yet when either road will be reopened. Governor Ney of Nayarit has said that there is a "situation of extreme risk" on Highway 200 between Lo de Marcos and Bucerias. People who were expecting to take that route should stop and find a safe place in La Peñita de Jaltemba or Guayabitos if they're heading south, or in Bucerias or La Cruz if they're heading north. Proteccion Civil will advise people as to when they can cross.
Sayulita was hit particularly hard early Tuesday morning. The small bridge in Sayulita that crosses the Estropajera River into town became separated at both ends, making it impassable to vehicles. People are encouraged not to enter Sayulita even by the Puta de Mita side. Torrential rains caused several landslides in the area. The mud from the slides was 1 meter (3 feet) deep in some places. About 40 households lost nearly all their possessions due to the water and mud, and a house on the hill behind the Centro de Salud is about to be washed into the river. Across the highway from Sayulita, the small communities of Tamarindo and Mangal have also lost homes into the river. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. After being without electricity for two days in the Sayulita area, it has just been restored.
As of today, classes have been suspended in Nayarit in the following places: Rincon de Guayabicos, Lo de Marcos, Los Ayala, El Monteon, Ursulo de Galvan, Las Lomas, San Pancho, Sayulita, Higuera Blanca, San Ignacio, San Quintin, and Guamuchil. More school suspensions are expected.
Update 4: CFE reports that power is restored to San Pancho and neighboring towns.
Update 3: At approximately 1:45 PM local time, Bahia de Banderas officials issued a statement confirming that access from Bucerias to Sayulita, either through Highway 200 or through the Punta de Mita-Higuera Blanca route, is closed and that there is no timeline as to when they will reopen. Last night’s mudslides on these highways are reported as being more severe than the slides from days before. Crews are working on clearing landslides, removing potentially dangerous and unstable rocks and debris, and rebuilding washed-out road foundations. People are advised to avoid this route until further notice. Rains are expected to continue over the next few days. For official information about the roads (in Spanish), people can dial 066.
Gerardo Navarrete from Riviera Tours in San Pancho reports that the pedestrian bridge that was set up to cross in and out of San Pancho has fallen, and that right now the only way for people to enter or exit San Pancho is across zip-lines and by sea using water taxis. San Pancho has no electricity right now, further aggravating the situation and affecting the only hospital in the region. CFE crews are trying to restore the electric supply.
Update 2: Traffic to Guadalajara is moving only through the Las Palmas, San Sebastian route. Proteccion Civil reports (as of 11:00 A.M. on September 7th) that only one lane is open at certain points on the road.
Update 1: Highway 200 from Bucerias to Sayulita, as well as the alternate route around Punta de Mita and on to Sayulita are still closed. Authorities are urging people not to try to wait in line for the roads to open. The line of cars on Highway 200 is stretched back to the La Cruz turnoff by Bucerias. Authorities are trying to help people park on the shoulders of the highway to avoid chaos and allow repair crews to fix the roads. People trying to get to Sayulita, San Pancho, Lo de Marcos and northward have the choice of taking a water taxi to Sayulita and taking a taxi from there. Water taxis are available in Nuevo Vallarta. In Punta de Mita, pangas are available for hire, but water taxi licenses are non-existent for Punta de Mita. As far as PV Pulse knows, you may need to hire the whole panga and subdivide the costs amongst your party. Fees for the water taxis from Nuevo to Sayulita are $30 USD at Paradise Village. Stay tuned.
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Original Story: The news on everyone's mind right now is the rain. Vallarta residents are no strangers to heavy rains this time of year – statistically, it rains an average of fifteen days each August and fourteen days each September – but the frequency and amount of rain the past few weeks have been unusual even for the wet season. The frequent downpours have caused a number of problems, starting with the collapse of the north-bound Ameca Bridge, as well as two other smaller bridges in the Las Palmas area, in the early morning hours of August 31st. The south-bound Ameca Bridge was re-opened to both north and south-bound traffic the next day.
Another bridge – this one in San Pancho, Nayarit – went down over the weekend. A pedestrian bridge was quickly set up, but vehicles are still unable to get in or out of the town. The rains continued over the weekend, leading to fifteen landslides onto Highway 200, the main road along the bay. Seven of the landslides were located in Bucerias. On Sunday, the worst of the landslides, at Km 125 on Highway 200, caused the closing of the road from Sayulita to Punta de Mita. After inspection, it was discovered that the rains had washed away part of the road's foundation, and that major repairs will be necessary. See our video on some of the damage caused by this week's flooding here.
In the meantime, traffic was being diverted to Punta de Mita to cross the area. In other incidents, landslides south of Puerto Vallarta at El Nogalito and Garza Blanca closed one lane of Highway 200; the community of El Guamuchil has been cut off from vehicles as the ramps of its bridge were washed out; streets have flooded in various Vallarta and Pitillal neighborhoods; trees fell down in Conchas Chinas; and an electric line and its post fell in the 12 de Octubre neighborhood of PV. On Monday, after a few hours of unusually intense early-afternoon rain, local authorities decided to stop all traffic at two points – the Sayulita-Bucerias stretch on Highway 200 and the Sayulita-Higuera Blanca stretch on the alternate route. North-south traffic from these points is stopped until further notice. We will keep you posted as we receive more updates.
Throughout the last week we've been continually impressed with how local businesses, government, and private citizens have joined together to help each other get through this difficult time. Watch our video on community efforts in place here. We're grateful to be part of a community that helps each other out! Stay safe, dry, and updated here on PV Pulse!
See Photos from the Ameca River Collapse
See Photos from the San Pancho Bridge Collapse
See Other Photos of Damage Throughout the Bay Area
See Reader-Submitted Photos of How the Rain has Affected Them
