Associa Mexico Realty Services

- We want to take a moment and thank the many board members and owners that have responded to us with understanding, words of encouragement and with patience as we work to deal with the aftermath of a category 3 hurricane in an area never before impacted in such a manner. Your support and encouragement has been a bright spot and excellent motivator for our staff.

Los Cabos Update -
At Associa Mexico we are optimistic that things are improving daily. Many stores are opening and well stocked currently and the safety concerns from immediately after hurricane Odile are diminishing. The remaining federal police and military presence have helped to maintain order throughout the region.

The tourist zone areas are back up and running and you can see the impact of the restoration effort across this zone. The outlying areas are a different story where many of the resident workers live and this recovery process will take much longer.

Los Cabos Store Update:
All of the food stores are open and very reasonably stocked, one exception is Costco which is estimated to open later in the year. Most all of the gas stations are open, propane is available and the hours long lines we saw just a week ago are virtually non-existent at this time.

Los Cabos Airport Update:
Los Cabos International Airport is tentatively scheduled to open on the 8th of October to national flights and international flights will start to arrive at Cabo slowly soon after. We are seeing United Airlines scheduling flights about a week out from this. American Airlines has flights tentatively starting after the 17th of October and Alaska Airlines estimates resuming at the end of October.

Los Cabos Hotels Update:
Estimations place available inventory by the middle of October around 60% operating. By November estimations are at 80% of room inventory available and the occupation forecasted will be 75-80%. Some resorts, such as the Hilton, are estimating as far as mid-January before re-opening their doors. The hotel zone in San Jose is the primary staging place for the federal police and military. The zone has seen fairly consistent power for days now and this area has had an extensive clean-up completed already.

Los Cabos Electricity Update:
Approximately 40% of the electricity has been restored but it is locally generated and it is not yet the definitive source that comes from La Paz. The CFE authorities estimate that 100% electricity will be restored within the next two weeks.

Los Cabos Update 9/28 - The clean-up efforts on our properties have been moving swiftly and reports are that much of the debris clean-up is completed. Pools are being restored, landscaping is being put back in place and the day-to-day work behind the scenes such as financial statements, bill payments, payroll, etc. have been occurring with little to no interruption.

Our Lincoln Hancock restoration team has been onsite for 5 days now and has already completed damage remediation work at more than half of our properties. The Lincoln Hancock staff continues to work through the properties today, with full crews onsite doing damage remediation work.

Los Cabos Update
We have confirmed that our restoration team and our truck with over 25 tons of supplies have reached Los Cabos, and we will be working to assess and protect many of your properties. We are working with each of your boards to determine next steps regarding insurance claims and the funding of rebuilding efforts.

We are happy to report there has been a significant amount of work completed thus far on our disaster recovery plan. With many people unable to work at the local resorts, we have added additional staff
to clean common areas, replace or repair landscaping, and remove trash and debris. Improving the aesthetics of the community is key to warding off additional looters or others who may move into vacant areas. We have also been working to get the pools cleaned and functional to prevent the spread of mosquitos and restore a sense of normalcy.

In-unit inspections and services are available for hire on a first come first serve basis. We have a team in the field, ready to perform in-unit inspections that include detailed damage reports with moisture readings and accompanying photos.

For pricing and to schedule an in-unit inspection please contact our customer service line at (214) 295-6245 or email Chris Harrison at [email protected].

Lincoln Hancock, our storm-related rehab and restoration division, is staging material and ready to go as soon as we can get them in, which will hopefully be sometime this week. They are seasoned in working with insurance and know how to adjust claims. For those who lack appropriate coverage, they will work with you to develop a funding strategy.

Photos from Loma Linda

Cabo update - We know that the utility crews are onsite in force trying to restore power, but the reports in the US media grossly underestimate the volume of downed lines and poles. It will take considerable time for full service to be restored to the area.

Communication in Cabo was, and continues to be, a challenge. We have delivered satellite phones to the local team and will be able to get more regular updates from them as the days progress.

Our management team is engaged and working but their priority remains to the safety and security of their homes and families, who have fallen victim to the storm and looting.

In spite of this, they have been regularly visiting and tending to your communities, many working through the night, doing damage assessments, providing for coordination amongst the staff and remaining residents, and supplying and rationing materials like food, water, and gasoline as they've been available.

Associa Cares, Associa's disaster relief non-profit arm, has been distributing funds to employees to cover basic needs and necessities.

In most cases, on-site staff (maintenance, management, and landscaping) have returned to work, but their attendance and availability has and will continue to come second to the needs of their own families. None have been formally sent home, but all have been instructed to tend to their family matters as needed and return to work as soon as possible.

The Cabo office is currently uninhabitable and inoperable, but we will be working this week to get it back up and running so that our employees and clients have a home base to operate out of.

All computers and files are safe and were removed before the storm hit, so as soon as we get electricity and communication, and can secure the building, we will be up and running. We will be liaising with local property management firms, offering them space and resources in our building, so that they too can get operational sooner and that we can better coordinate interior and common area cleanup.

We are equipped to respond and support you but you have to give us time to do so.

Evacuation flights continue for all those willing to leave. We are encouraging all remaining owners and residents to utilize these flights and depart the region.

We have no knowledge of any break-ins or looting on any of our properties at this time, but security within the communities will continue to be a concern as people remain in this desperate state.

The limited security available has been working overtime. We are recommending additional security for all of communities, to secure properties exposed by damages from the storm and to offer communities with current security services guards relief. We are putting together plans to supplement what security is already there, and have begun delivering proposals to our Boards of Directors for approval.

If you're thinking about driving down the Baja, please don't. There are growing reports of looting on the highways as people know that any car headed south right now is probably coming in with valuable supplies and resources.

Photos from Las Terrazas

Our priorities continue to be the well-being of our staff and residents, followed by the securing of our communities.

This involves both the physical security provided through guards, police, and military, as well as the building security provided through the weatherproofing of the exterior envelopes to protect against further pe*******on by the elements.

Supplies have started to arrive.

Photos of Lomas de la Jolla

Lincoln Hancock, our storm-related rehab and restoration division, is staging material and ready to go as soon as we can get them in, which will hopefully be sometime this week.

They are seasoned in working with insurance and know how to adjust claims. For those who lack appropriate coverage, they will work with you to develop a funding strategy.

Associa executive team members have just returned from a two day trip to Los Cabos, where we assessed properties and delivered MRE-style food rations and established high-volume water filtration stations to address basic survival needs for employees and residents.

Communication was, and continues to be, a challenge. We have delivered satellite phones to the local team and will be able to get more regular updates from them as the days progress.