Los Cabos: Power at 100 Percent, Airport Running Normal Schedule, Cruise Ships Docking

Mexican authorities say electrical service has been restored to 100 percent of users in Baja California Sur state 17 days after Hurricane Odile knocked the power out.

That includes the resort area of Los Cabos, which sustained heavy damage from a direct hit by the Category 3 storm last month.

Mexico’s Federal Electricity Commission says the storm had damaged 534 transmission towers, 1,353 transformers, 108 circuits and 7,971 electrical poles, leaving 95 percent of customers in the dark statewide.

The agency says in a Thursday statement that Odile caused more damage to Mexican electrical infrastructure than any other storm, including Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

The Los Cabos international airport is reportedly set to return to normal flight operations Friday after 17-days of closer as a result of damage.

Carnival Miracle will depart Saturday, Oct. 4 from Long Beach, Calif., on the first voyage of a new year-round cruise program to the Mexican Riviera. The ship will be among the first to call at Cabo San Lucas on Oct. 6 following Hurricane Odile and will be loaded with relief supplies provided by Carnival for local residents.

Hurricane Odile caused an 3 billion pesos ($224 million) in damage when it slammed into the western state of Baja California Sur last week, Mexico’s AMIS insurers association said.

Odile, which made landfall in the resort area of Los Cabos as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of more than 200 kph (124 mph), is blamed for six deaths.

The 200 or so insurance adjusters deployed in the state since the storm passed are dealing with 2,330 Odile-related claims, AMIS director Recaredo Arias told a press conference Thursday.

Unlike hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel in 2013, Odile did not cause significant harm to hotels and businesses, Arias said.

“Based upon our experience we estimate the cost this time will be lower than (hurricane) Wilma’s (in 2005), because of the type and density of the hotel infrastructure affected, and after having carried out physical inspections, we believe it may even be lower than Ingrid and Manuel,” he said.