Family in Mexico hurricane ordeal

A GROUP of holidaymakers from Kidderminster had to go without food and fresh water for four days as they took refuge in their Mexican hotel while Hurricane Wilma ravaged the country's coastline.

What was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime turned into a terrifying ordeal for the six people in the party as the hurricane left a trail of devastation in its wake.

They recounted their traumatic experience after finally arriving home following a gruelling 28-hour journey.

When the category five hurricane hit the Mexican coast, Sarah Brooks, her husband, Lee Brooks, 33, and her two children from a previous marriage, Shannen and Joseph Poulton, were at the Bahia Principle Resort in Tulum, 80 miles from Cancun.

They flew out with Mr Brooks's mother, Christine, 58, of Chester Road and Mrs Brook's ex-sister-in-law Lesley Poulton, 42, on October 17 for a two-week holiday.

Mrs Brooks said they spent two days sunbathing by the pool and having the time of their lives before the resort received a tropical storm warning. The next day, the holidaymakers were asked to go to their rooms for safety after the storm was upgraded to a hurricane and 200mph winds began to batter the resort.

They stayed in their rooms for four days and nights with no water, electricity or food - and just one bottle of water between them - until it was safe to leave. Mrs Brooks said: "We were absolutely petrified. They were going to evacuate us but it was decided we were safer in our resort."

She added that the family's room kept flooding and they had to use towels to stop the water getting in. "At night, it was pitch black - we couldn't see our hands in front of our faces. We just sat there talking and sleeping - we couldn't do anything else. We couldn't phone anyone so our friends were worried."

The 38-year-old said her children, were "absolutely terrified", adding: "My daughter was in tears most of the time. I think my son was putting on a brave face for his sister."

Tulum was close to the eye of the hurricane. The hotel's restaurant and reception area roofs were damaged, palm trees around the resort were uprooted and the swimming pool was full of debris.

After the holidaymakers were evacuated, they had to endure a 28-hour journey home and were only allowed to bring their hand luggage.

They had a four-hour flight from Cancun to a military airport followed by a three-hour flight to the Dominican Republic.

From there, they flew to Manchester Airport before spending two hours on a flight to Birmingham and then travelled home by taxi, arriving back last Thursday.

Mrs Brooks said: "We have come back without our luggage. We still haven't received it. Our luggage is still floating around in Mexico."

Sam Day, press officer for the MyTravel group, said: "Luggage has now been tagged and identified. People will be reunited with their luggage very soon."

Both Mr and Mrs Brooks said the experience had not put them off returning to Tulum. Mrs Brooks said: " We would go back - out of the hurricane season. The resort was amazing and the Mexican staff were fantastic."