With state, federal and armed forces officials, evaluate damages and aid granted
Governor Carlos Miguel Aysa González instructed state and federal authorities to speed up the delivery of support directly to those affected by the rains, to meet their most pressing needs such as food, supply of drinking and purified water, and medical care.
This morning, Aysa González led the session of the State Council for Civil Protection, where she followed up on the reports presented by the state secretaries that yesterday were assigned to the 11 municipalities, in order to assess the effects of tropical storm Cristóbal and help that is provided to the population.
During the meeting, the delegates of the Conagua, SCT and representatives of the armed forces and National Guard also presented a balance of the work carried out.
The Governador asked the authorities to further concentrate efforts to «have precision shots» and help solve the problems of people who have suffered most strongly from the effects of the rains.
Emphatically, he asked to strengthen the coordination between the state, federal authorities and the armed forces to continue helping people, at the same time that it meant that the priority is to guarantee food, water and medical services to the affected families, mainly those of Hopelchén, Hecelchakán and the rivers area of the Carmen municipality, such as Aguacatal, for being the places where the situation is most critical.
He recognized the DIF State System for the pantries it has given to the poorest families due to the health emergency, and asked that this work continue to be granted now in the areas where the tropical storm caused severe damage.
OFFICERS PRESENT DAMAGE REPORT
The first to intervene was the Secretary of Civil Protection, Edgar Hernández Hernández, who reported that so far a total of 32 temporary shelters have been opened in the state where 1,226 people are housed. The municipalities that have more spaces enabled are Hopelchén with 13 in which 340 are served; in Champotón there are six with more than 180 and in Carmen, specifically in the town of Aguacatal, six spaces house 280 residents.
He commented that the Palizada, Candelaria and Champotón rivers remain below their overflow level, so they do not represent risks for houses located near their channels. As for the Chumpán river, he explained that it remains overwhelmed and is leaving severe flooding in the rivers area of the municipality of Carmen.
For his part, the Secretary General of the Government, Pedro Armentía López, representative of the Governor in the municipality of Campeche, indicated that the Los Laureles community remains flooded because there are runoffs from the upper parts, although work is already underway to evict them; two dining rooms were installed to provide food and with the support of the armed forces, people continue to be helped; In addition, purified water has been distributed and a medical brigade visit is already scheduled.
The Secretary of Economic Development, Ricardo Ocampo Fernández, representative of the Governor in Carmen, mentioned that in Aguacatal the flood level is already beginning to drop; The need for rescue has been fully met, but aid will be reinforced by the delivery of more mats, water and food. Starting today and for the next 15 days, a health brigade will be permanently working in the town.
For his part, the delegate of the Conagua, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Todd, said that to attend to the Aguacatal community promptly last night, a portable water treatment plant, a 10,000-liter pipe was sent to supply the team with water and a tank, as well as a lighting tower to alert vehicular traffic.
In addition, he explained that the agency is already carrying out operations to evacuate water from towns that have critical situations and gave as an example that in Escárcega so far more than 18 thousand cubic meters have been removed; in Pueblo Nuevo, Campeche, almost 68 thousand and in Iturbide, Hopelchén, 22 thousand 280 cubic meters. He specified that the greatest accumulated rain, from the first to June 5, is registered in Hopelchén with more than 600 liters per square meter.
For his part, the commander of the 33rd Military Zone, Enrique Dena Salgado, promised to strengthen teamwork to avoid dispersing efforts, so a community kitchen in Aguacatal will be activated and surveillance actions will be reinforced; meanwhile, the representative of the National Guard reported that to support evacuation, rescue and pantry distribution actions, 220 elements, seven vehicles and a boat have been deployed in eight locations.
The Secretary of Tourism, Jorge Manos Esparragoza, stated that in Tenabo no major damages were reported, there were only damages in around 50 hectares of cultivation of chihua and squash, and on the Emiliano Zapata-Tinún highway the water is falling.
The owner of Seduopi, Edilberto Buenfil Montalvo, pointed out that in the town of Villamadero, Champotón, there is a flooded part, but Conagua will send a pump to remove the water; the biggest problem is in the town of February 5, where there are several families sheltered, but no serious problems are reported.
The Secretary of Education, Ricardo Koh Cambranis, said that in Calkiní the biggest problem is in Dzibalché, because before the rain it was affected by a waterspout that took sheet roofs from some houses and added that in support of the affected families they were distributed 150 pantries. For his part, the director of the Comprehensive Port Administration, Carlos Ortiz Piñera, assured that no damage was registered in Palizada.
The director of the SCT in Campeche, Armando Araiza, presented a report on the conditions of the federal highway network: At kilometer 194 of the Villahermosa-Carmen highway there is no vehicular crossing; in Escárcega-Xpujil, at km 111, traffic is on one lane, just like km 156 900. In addition, technical personnel make a tour to verify which roads have erosions, in order to avoid accidents.
Meanwhile, the representative of the CFE stated that the service to the more than 40 thousand users who were affected has been practically restored in its entirety.
The Harbor Master’s Office mentioned that the port infrastructure did not suffer breakdowns; in Carmen a boat sank in the dock, but in the course of the week it is calculated that it will float; 46 fishing tags left to anchor for safety and in the next few days they will return to their docking areas. There are no reports of drifting boats or fishermen.
Finally, meteorologist Hugo Villa Obregón explained that, on his way north, Christopher could leave occasional rains, although without the intensity with which they were recorded during the week.
