Mexican Government Excels with Hurricane Prevention in Yucatan

As many have discovered, there is no longer a Department of Civil Defense in the United States. That organization has been taken over by Homeland Security and its functions divided between 22 different agencies, including FEMA. The death toll, human and property damage, and lack of recovery, since Katrina and Rita, is clear and convincing evidence of what the dismantling of the Department of Civil Defense has stripped from the security of the United States during and after natural disasters.

There is, however, a state in Mexico that has a Department of Civil Protection that is one of the best in the world. The State of Yucatan is the center state on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is protected by a range of mountains to the south and a shoreline that slopes at such an angle that most hurricanes would have to turn around and come back to actually strike it. Yet, even with protective geography, the State of Yucatan still maintains a Department of Civil Protection that is little short of amazing in its ability to prepare for, survive, and recover from a hurricane of any strength.

The Department of Civil Protection for the State of Yucatan can be viewed here. The site is simple, yet comprehensive. The first page has a current bulletin, which gives complete details of any threat that may be in the vicinity of the state. The first link is to a comprehensive guide for what one should keep on hand in the way of supplies, as well as what one should do as the alerts change from yellow, to orange, and to red.

The second link is a complete list of bulletins made available to the public at all times so that the tracking of hurricanes can be as complete as possible. The third link is a list of all 106 municipalities (counties) in Yucatan. Clicking on any one of the names of the municipalities will take the reader to a pdf document showing all shelters and refuges in that municipality.

A refuge is a temporary shelter designed to house people during a storm, while a shelter is prepared to keep them until other arrangements for housing can be made. Each document gives the address of the shelter or refuge, as well as how many people it will hold. The fourth link is information for farmers and fishermen so they can protect their livestock, crops, and fishing boats.

The fifth link identifies the National Network of Community Brigadiers. The "Brigadista Comunitario" is a well trained group of volunteers, much like the old Civil Defense volunteers in the United States, who swing into action at the first sign of a storm and make it possible for the State of Yucatan to weather hurricanes and recover from them in the shortest time possible. The sixth link fully explains the color coded alert system used as a warning system for residents. The seventh link provides satellite information for the entire area that is available at all times. Finally, there is a link for comments and questions addressed to the Department of Civil Protection. If the e-mailers identify themselves and provide contact information, their problems and questions are addressed, personally, by the Department of Civil Protection.

This comprehensive website is not the only Civil Defense resource in the possession of the State of Yucatan. As soon as it is known that a hurricane is threatening the area, the Mexican Army begins to arrive in town in large numbers. These young people are simply phenomenal. They patrol the streets and assist with anything they find that needs to be done, before, during, and after the storm.

The Government of Mexico then sends thousands of electricians, each hurricane trained, along with all the equipment they will need to immediately get the electrical systems back up and running. In addition, as if by an unseen hand, warehouses of food pantries begin to fill up throughout the state. Each food pantry has enough food to feed a family of 5 for a week. These are delivered immediately following the storm.

The big surprise, and treasure of Yucatan, is the local politicians, who visit their residents in shelters and personally deliver food pantries to their homes when they return. Everyone is accounted for and everyone is fed and clothed. It may not be in 5 star style, but no one is left to flounder on their own. No Katrina nightmares of people begging for food and water will ever happen in the State of Yucatan. The Department of Civil Protection, the Brigadista Comunitario, the Mexican Army, and local politicians see to it that if a hurricane is going to come, the State of Yucatan and her people will survive intact.