Yucatan Governor Leads Emergency Civil Protection Meeting Ahead of Heavy Rains

Merida, Yucatan — Governor Joaquin Diaz Mena convened the first extraordinary session of the State Civil Protection Council on Saturday, calling for constant vigilance and stronger interagency coordination as heavy to intense rains are forecast for the region over the next five days.

Diaz Mena stressed that protecting lives is the top priority and urged council members to remain alert. “We ask the members of this Council to stay alert in the coming days and be ready for any call; we will closely follow the rains announced by Civil Protection,” he said.

The governor noted that Yucatan has an operational civil protection system with 31 state shelters and 1,052 municipal and submunicipal shelters distributed across the territory, ready to receive families who need refuge from natural phenomena.

He also highlighted that the State Emergency Fund has been strengthened with a reserve of 8 million pesos and an annual contribution of 4 million pesos, allowing immediate response to affected municipalities, especially during the critical first hours, as well as support for prevention efforts and supplies in shelters.

Through the Secretariat of Administration and Finance, the state has contracted a hurricane parametric insurance and a satellite-based agricultural parametric insurance for atypical rainfall. These instruments have a maximum coverage limit nearly four times the premium paid and, in an extreme scenario, could allow cumulative claims of up to 500 million pesos to assist the population in a severe weather emergency.

Diaz Mena thanked the coordinated work with the Mexican Army, the Mexican Navy, the National Guard, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), the National Water Commission (Conagua), the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation, as well as other institutions and organizations that help adjust protocols and ensure preparedness for each phase of the season.

He also thanked President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for her ongoing support, noting that coordination with federal agencies allows the state and municipalities to work in sync.

During the session, officials reported that over the next five days, atmospheric conditions will remain favorable for heavy to intense rains in Yucatan. The highest rainfall accumulations are expected in municipalities in the northwest, west, and southwest of the state, where localized totals could exceed 100 millimeters.

Participants included Public Security Secretary Luis Felipe Saiden Ojeda; General Government Secretary Omar Perez Aviles; commander of the 32nd Military Zone, Brigadier General Juan Manuel Mendoza Portillo; state coordinator of the National Guard in Yucatan, Brigadier General Isidoro Cazares Cruz; interim commander of the 17th Air Military Zone, Group Pilot General Ernesto Velazquez Montoya; and Chief of Staff of the 9th Naval Zone, Rear Admiral Victor Omar Mendoza Aguilar.