Disaster prevention in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico

Natural disasters and extreme weather are one the key areas of AidCom’s monitoring and alert service for travellers. In Mexico, the country’s civil defence sector known as Protección Civil provides prevention-, relief- and recovery services aimed at protecting the population in the event of earthquakes, hurricanes or any other type of natural or man-made disaster. 

Team Xalapa meeting with Noemí Guzmán and Dr. Jonathan Pérez  (Photo: Protección Civil)

At the head of the department in Veracruz is Noemí Zoila Guzmán Lagunes, whose qualifications are reflected in her academic and professional career, including an early role as Municipal President in her hometown of Teocelo and a more recent position as a senator representing Veracruz. In recognition of her work at Protección Civil, Guzmán was also nominated for the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction – Mexico’s first ever nomination.

Team Xalapa headed to the offices of Protección Civil to meet with Guzmán and her team and discuss potential areas of collaboration, as well as learn more about their work and the disasters that affect Veracruz. As Guzmán highlighted: Veracruz is located in the heart of the Gulf of Mexico, sharing the Atlantic Ocean with over 40 other countries. Hurricane season in the Atlantic runs from the start of June to the end of November, and this year’s predictions are above average with 18 named tropical storms on the radar. Two of seven confirmed storms – Barry and Fernand – have already struck Veracruz, which is not only vulnerable due to its location, but also its diverse terrain including an exposed coastline, over 40 rivers and the mountains of Sierra Madre Oriental. Protecting the over 7.6 million inhabitants in Veracruz is no small job for Protección Civil, in other words.

Working at Protección Civil requires the ability to keep calm in the event of a disaster, in order to effectively monitor the situation and evaluate all incoming information, explained Guzmán. Importantly, alerts need to meet certain criteria and follow certain protocols before being sent out. We have to work fast, but at the same time avoid unnecessary panic or fear and maintain our credibility. The likelihood of a potential disaster striking Veracruz has to be confirmed before we alert the population. This is a big responsibility.

Disaster prevention is at the core of Protección Civil’s work. In fact, the Veracruz team standardized the alerta gris (a preemptive gray alert), which is the first of its kind in Mexico.

In the case of tropical storm Fernand, Protección Civil sent out a gray alert 36 hours before the storm was expected to make landfall. An emergency response committee was assembled to both take the necessary precautions before the storm and deal with the aftermath. Similar to AidCom, they sent out an alerta roja (red alert) the evening before, while all classes at school were suspended the day of the storm. As the storm wreaked havoc across the state on August 26th, Protección Civil had to constantly monitor 59 rivers with rising water levels and deal with the effects of severe flooding and a total of 172 landslides. 370 people needed rescuing, while 13 sadly died as a result of the destruction caused by Fernand.  

We were the first in Mexico to implement a preventative model for tropical storms, earthquakes and other types of disasters that could affect the population. We are very focused on developing clear, preventative measures to protect the people of Veracruz and ensuring they are aware of the risk factors and prepared in the event of a disaster.

Cooperation is vital in order for disaster prevention and response work to be effective and reach out to as many as possible. As Guzmán emphasized, this includes both ensuring sound collaboration and communication between the federal, state and municipal levels of Protección Civil, as well as actively engaging the population.

It is very important that the population participates and becomes aware of the risks and vulnerabilities of their particular area, as well as how to respond in the event of a disaster. Our ultimate goal is to develop “una cultura preventiva” – a culture of prevention – and it is our responsibility to inform the population and provide them with the knowledge and tools to protect themselves.

Team Xalapa with Noemí Guzmán

Spanish-speakers can read Protección Civil's article about us here!