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.