Bay Area family upset there wasn't more help escaping Cabo

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A family vacation in paradise turned into a nightmare escape from disaster. One Bay Area family says they're happy to be out of hurricane ravaged Cabo San Lucas, but with thousands of people still stranded and suffering the U.S. isn't doing enough.

Adam and Autumn Bremer flew down to Cabo San Lucas last weekend with their two young children to celebrate her birthday. However, when the hurricane hit, it paralyzed the whole area and they had to fend for themselves to get out.

Within hours of Hurricane Odile slamming into Baja California, Cabo San Lucas turned into a scary, dangerous place.

At the hotel where Autumn and her family were staying the courtyard flooded and mud caked the halls. However, the worst part was confusion and chaos brewing outside of the resorts.

"We've heard so many things, you know. But what we do know is that they're rioting right out there," Autumn said.

Their resort had no power, no communication, and limited food. They say most everyone was on their own to get out.

"I saw some other people from our building leaving, I'm like, 'Where are you going?' They said, 'We are just going to go to the street and just try to bribe someone to take us to the airport. We got to get out of here,'" Autumn said.

They made it to the airport, got a military flight to Mexico City, and arrived in San Francisco early Friday morning. They say the U.S. Government should have done more.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Pleasanton, says there are still about 1,000 U.S. citizens stranded and he's pushing for more help. He told ABC7 News, "We have the largest aviation fleet in the entire world, and I'm calling on the State Department to do everything we can to get that fleet down there because Tropical Storm Polo is set to hit tomorrow."

The Bremmers are hoping to keep attention focused on the disaster.

"We're appalled to see that the iPhone 6 is making more news than this. This is a humanitarian disaster, probably pretty equal to Hurricane Katrina," Adam said.

They say tourists should be evacuated to allow the Mexican government to focus on rebuilding.