Hurricane Wilma Breaks Records

In mid-October 2005, as parts of North and Central America were recovering from the blows of the record-breaking 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, a record third category 5 hurricane churned to full strength in the western Atlantic and eastern Caribbean. As with Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Stan, the Church once again stood ready to fill the initial needs of members and other Hurricane Wilma victims.

Downgraded to a category 3 storm at landfall, Hurricane Wilma pounded the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico for more than 36 hours. Then the storm swept through western Cuba and ultimately through the southern part of Florida in the United States.

All missionaries in the affected areas of Mexico and Florida were reported safe and accounted for. A downed communications network in Mexico complicated efforts to contact and account for all members in hurricane-affected areas.

The Church’s presence in relief efforts in Florida and Mexico increased in the wake of Hurricane Wilma. Regional welfare committees oversaw the distribution of food, water, and other emergency supplies from the Orlando bishops’ storehouse. Several truckloads of emergency relief supplies were purchased in Mérida, Mexico, and were distributed to members and others in the Cancún and Cozumel areas. Infrastructure damage, however, slowed the delivery of goods. In order to address the substantial damage in these areas, stake presidents will continue to assess the needs of members and neighbors in their areas.

Hundreds of member families in Mexico were displaced because of severe damage to their homes. About 20 member families in southern Florida sustained significant damage to their homes, and Church meetinghouses in Cancún were severely damaged.

In Mexico, more than 100 temporary shelters operated, housing some 22,000 people. Major flooding hit Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel. About 30 to 40 percent of Cancún’s population had damaged housing because of the storm, and some residents of the Cancún area were expected to be without power for months.

Heavy rains and subsequent flooding also affected western Cuba later in the weekend as Hurricane Wilma hit that area. More than 625,000 people were evacuated from the storm’s path. Eastern parts of Cuba that were hit in July 2005 by Hurricane Dennis sustained damage from Wilma as well.

Wind and water damage was widespread throughout the southern Florida peninsula as well as the Florida Keys. Many of the meetinghouses were damaged by wind and rain. Landscaping and satellite receivers of many southern Florida meetinghouses were damaged. Power was out for more than 3.5 million Florida residents, and a major portion of Key West, Florida, had floodwaters up to 5 feet (1.52 m) deep. There were 10 confirmed storm-related deaths in Florida.

Stake presidents continue to evaluate and meet member needs in the aftermath of these disasters as members attempt to return to their homes and rebuild their lives.

Hurricane Wilma caused substantial damage to this meetinghouse in Cancún, Mexico last October. (Photograph courtesy Church Public Affairs Mexico South Area.)