Hulls weather hurricane in Mexico

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September 23, 2014 - 12:00 AM

The Michael and Mary Hull family arrived safely in Iola Saturday after surviving the harrowing ordeal of Hurricane Odile on Sept. 14, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The Category 3 storm packed winds up to 125 mph. Twenty-five foot waves surged against the coastline, destroying popular resorts and businesses.
“It looks like a war zone,” Michael Hull said of the popular tourist resort on the most southern tip of Baja.
Michael and Mary huddled with their three sons, Maddox, 4, Mason, 3, and Micah, 20 months, in a back bathroom, as they heard the glass in windows and sliding doors explode from the giant storm bearing down, followed by torrents of rain pouring into their condominium.
The hurricane is the worst to hit the Baja Peninsula in recorded history.
The first half of the storm lasted about three hours, Michael said, followed by an eerie 30-minute calm, the eye of the storm, followed by the back end of the storm that was just as fierce for another one-and-a-half hours.
“Our ears were popping like crazy,” Michael said, due to the plummeting barometric pressure.
“And the noise. It was horrific,” he said of the howling winds.
When it was all over, little remained. Nothing could withstand the immense winds and powerful rains.
“Neither hurricane shutters or bulletproof glass helped,” he said of the protective measures.
“Every window is gone. Every structure is flooded. Everything has been smashed. Trees were stripped or fallen.”
After the storm, the Hull family found refuge in the house of friends who had a generator.
“We had food and bottled water. As bad as it was, we had it easy.”
Except for sleep.
“That was tough,” he said.
“I’m not sure what we’re going to do now,” Hull said, still shell-shocked from the experience.

MICHAEL LEFT his job as an accountant with KPMG in Dallas to join his brother, Jeff, in a small tourism venture in 2007 in Cabo. At KPMG, a global accounting firm, he specialized in mergers and acquisitions and also corporate bankruptcy. Mary, the former Mary Hastings, sold pharmaceuticals for Pfizer. The two graduated from Iola High School in 1996.
The lifestyle of Cabo was a big departure from Dallas. T-shirts and flip-flops have replaced the suit and tie. He and Mary are perpetually tan. Their children are learning to speak Spanish alongside English.
Today, Michael runs the business that features water sports using jetpacks and flybikes as well as a glass-bottomed submarine.
“I’ve got 12 employees ready to go back to work, but there’s nothing for them to do,” he said. “I’m guessing it will be next spring before I’ll be able to take any reservations. Tourism will be hit hard.”
Hull expects insurance to cover most of his expenses, but the rebuilding effort for the area will be massive.
“Docks are destroyed. Houses were blown into the water. Beaches swept away. Resorts obliterated.
“I feel guilty not being there, but I had to get my kids out of there,” he said.
His parents, former Iolans Richard and Lana Hull, also live in Cabo. Their home sustained damage, Michael said, but not as extensively as Michael and Mary’s condo. The senior Hulls are now with their son Jeff and his family in Dallas.

FOR NOW, the Hulls are “camping out” with Mary’s parents, Mark and Chardel Hastings. Midweek, Michael will return to Cabo to further inspect the damage and start on repairs.
“It’s still a beautiful place,” he said. “People like the weather there and that won’t change. Business will be back.”

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