Tagged: ambergris caye, beach bar, belize, hurricane earl, palapa bar, san pedro
Palapa Bar, a world famous beach bar located at the end of a pier on Ambergris Caye, Belize, was destroyed overnight as Hurricane Earl swept through the area, leaving a trail of fallen timber in its wake. As a result of the devastation, Erin de Santiago of ourtastytravels.com has set up a GoFundMe page to help the owners, Scott and Jodie Harnish, rebuild this destination bar.
From the GoFundMe page: “Hurricane Earl struck Ambergris Caye, Belize, last night and while only a Category 1 storm when it hit us, the devastation it unleashed on our “La Isla Bonita” is catastrophic. The neighborhood of Boca Del Rio suffered massive damage throughout, including the loss of our beloved Palapa Bar, owned by Scott and Jodie Harnish.
Scott and Jodie are longstanding members of the Belize community and their bar is known worldwide as one of the best places and “must visit” bars in the country.
Unfortunately, the over the water structure was uninsurable and Scott and Jodie have subsequently lost everything. Please help us by helping them rebuild and at least bring back one of our island icons in the wake of this devastating disaster.”
I’ve been able to converse with Scott and Jodie many times via email, even featuring them in this article as I was first getting the blog up and going. Even through that impersonal method of communication, you could tell that their hearts were good and that they were passionate not just about their bar but about the people that worked for them as well as the community they now called home. That opinion has only been strengthened when talking to people who have had personal interactions with them as they echo the same sentiments. Scott and Jodie are good people who have just had a horrible circumstance visited upon their lives.
To help the community of Ambergris Caye recover by contributing to the reconstruction of one of its pillar businesses, you can access the GoFundMe page here. For more information on the aftereffects of Hurricane Earl, you can follow the San Pedro Sun, San Pedro Scoop and Ambergris Today Facebook pages.
Palapa Bar as Hurricane Earl neared the coast of Ambergris Caye
After Hurricane Earl
