The small Mexican village of Alamos, close to the Gulf of California and the Copper Canyon region, is a popular destination for GA pilots from the Southwest, who enjoy its quiet colonial charm and mountain scenery. But last week, the small local airstrip at Alamos became a lifeline, as villagers struggled to recover from a devastating hurricane that caused floods and landslides and destroyed several local bridges. “Hurricane Norbert washed away over 100 homes and damaged an additional 150 homes, all belonging to Mexican families who lost basically all their worldly possessions,” Jack McCormick, president of the Baja Bush Pilots, told AVweb this week. So McCormick put out the call for help to the GA community, and last weekend 31 fully-loaded small aircraft departed from the U.S. to bring food, bedding, diapers, tarps, tools and more to the village.
The Mexican government allowed direct flights into the local airport, waiving the usual requirement to stop at an international airport first. “To see the look of joy and then the tears of appreciation on the faces of the people who receive these much-needed items is what it is all about,” said McCormick. He added that many more donated supplies need to be delivered, and he is organizing a second airlift.
For more information (or to volunteer or make a donation), visit the Baja Bush Pilots web site.
| CLICK FOR LARGER INDIVIDUAL IMAGES EACH IMAGE WILL OPEN IN A NEW WINDOW | |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
