Cancun, Q.R. — Although Tropical Storm Marco did not make landfall in the Cancun area as forecast, Civil Protection says it was a good exercise regardless, since the state is in the midst of hurricane season.
Antonio Riveroll Ribbon, head of the Cancun Civil Protection office said that implementing the preventive activities carried out by Civil Protection last weekend was a good exercise. He said that the alert created by the tropical storm ensured they were ready and well prepared adding that “we are about to enter the most active stage of hurricane season.”
The official explained that when they learned that Quintana Roo was in the probable path of storm they “immediately began to apply all the corresponding protocols and with an excellent response capacity, which ended up being a good exercise for any future situation,” he indicated.
Among other actions, he mentioned that they verified the conditions of the schools that would be used as shelters after five months of being closed due to the health contingency, and except for two or three schools, the rest were ready for immediate use.
In an interview with Origen Radio, Riveroll Ribbon stressed that it was a joint effort between the Benito Juárez and state governments, as well as the Ministry of Public Education to leave the schools in a condition to be used as shelters.
“More than anything, cleaning work was carried out and their conditions verified. There were two or three that were pending due to infrastructure problems, such as lack of wiring, which the Ministry of Education will attend to,” he noted.
“In other cases there was no water since the taps were not being used and it was decided to close water pipes for the bathrooms,” he added emphasizing that “we will have to continue like this, not lower our guard, since the most intense part of the hurricane season is September and October. The cyclone season ends November 30, so there is still a long time to go. We must remain alert,” he stated.