To the editor,
We arrived on Isla Mujeres 20 years ago and knew this was where our home should be. We loved the island, the people, the beauty. We purchased a small home on the Caribbean side and remodeled to include rental suites.
We are permanent residents, pay taxes and our rentals are fully licensed. We have been a part of this community since the beginning. We support the residents and we call Isla Mujeres home.
Six years ago – 15 March 2019 – CFE installed a massive jet-engine-powered generator in front our house in a residential area on Isla Mujeres. They built this without notifying any of the people who live or work near this generator. We have asked for answers and relief, but no one from CFE or the municipality will respond.
The noise exceeds 115 decibels and it is impossible to live in your home comfortably (or rent to tourists) while it is on. Burning diesel fuel fills the air and is toxic. This adversely affects a large established neighborhood and a larger portion of the island as well.
In the high summer season, the generator often runs 8-15 hours a day – no discernable schedule or rationale. Now it is the cooler season and still it runs with no rhyme or reason as to when or why.
We are heartbroken. We committed to Isla Mujeres 20 year ago, but all of us in our neighborhood are suffering. We personally are spending more time away from Isla and we have stopped welcoming guests and tourists for months at a time because of the risk of the generator.
On 13 February, after running most of the previous night, the generator ran again. There was a huge explosion and a fireball went over our house and into the ocean.
There was a second explosion and fireball then dangerous fireworks coming from the main transformer that connects to the generator. The generator went dead and so did the electricity around the island. It took several hours for all the island to get electricity.
The emissions are toxic to the environment. The noise is deafening and now it is a fire hazard. All or most of the homes in our neighborhood have palapa roofs. It was only luck and a blessing that no one’s palapa caught on fire spreading to five to 10 homes. The fear of a fire now keeps me awake at night.
We understand that the island needs electricity, but this generator in this place on the island cannot and should not be the answer. We believe that the government and CFE can work together to do the right thing, to provide reliable electricity to Isla Mujeres residents and visitors and allow us to live in our homes safely without risk to our health and hearing or the danger of a catastrophic fire.
A Distraught 20-Year Resident of Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres, Q’Roo, Mexico
