A few days ago, meteorologists began to notice that the birds around Xalapa were high tailing it out of here in an unexpected mass migration. They realized that there are two cold fronts that have combined to create one, giant hurricane-sized front that hit Veracruz’s coast last night.

While in coastal areas the winds have reached 80 miles per hour, here in Xalapa we’ve had 60 mile an hour winds since around 10 last night. Forecasters tell us that the temperatures are only going to keep on dropping.

Classes are canceled today, although people still have to go to work. Trees are knocked down, billboards, cars and small houses show the damage. It’s definitely a day to stay inside.

Many say that the worst is yet to come. Many homes in more rural areas of Veracruz are made of palm fronds and wood beams. These constructions are not able to withstand high winds. What’s more, the rivers are already running high and with just a little rain can easily flood. (Even so, they still turn off our water every day.)

When hurricane Dean hit Veracruz, our dear governor Fidel Herrera called all Xalapa residents at the same time to let us know that he would not sleep that night to ensure our safety. Tío Fidel was nearby. Well he didn’t give us a call this time, but he told us all the same that Veracruz is in good hands. His government will not sleep until the front passes and all returns to normality. Ahhhh…. What would we do without Tío Fidel?