Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena installs the 2025 Civil Protection Council in Yucatán, launching emergency plans and public safety measures ahead of cyclone season.
With the start of the rainy and tropical cyclone season already underway, Yucatán has officially activated its 2025 State Civil Protection Council. The formal installation took place at the Control, Command, Communication, Computing, and Intelligence Center (C5i) of the Ministry of Public Security, under the leadership of Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena.
The council was established to coordinate response and prevention efforts between government agencies, military forces, scientific institutions, and civil society as the state braces for potentially severe weather between June 1 and November 30.
Governor Díaz Mena, who presides over the council, declared the session open and stressed the importance of sustained, organized collaboration in protecting Yucatecan lives and property. "Each and every one of you is essential in this cross-cutting task of safeguarding the lives, property, and integrity of Yucatecan families," he said during his opening remarks. "The Council is not a formality — it is a real-time workspace where decisions, strategies, and protocols come together to save lives."
The session brought together representatives from all three levels of government, along with military branches, state security forces, emergency services, and civic leaders. Attendees also reviewed and approved several foundational documents: the Council's Internal Rules of Procedure, a session schedule extending through 2030, and the Special Civil Protection Program for the 2025 Tropical Cyclone Season.
Díaz Mena emphasized that long-term, structured planning is critical to risk reduction. “The best civil protection is the one that prevents tragedies. That’s why we’re adopting a comprehensive approach—education, training, investment in infrastructure, community engagement, and cutting-edge technology,” he said.
The governor also announced targeted investments in early warning systems, improved communication networks, and detailed evacuation plans, which will be shared widely with the public. “There is no better defense than an informed, organized, and empowered citizenry,” he added.
During the session, Díaz Mena thanked President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for her continued support of Yucatán’s disaster preparedness efforts. He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to building a civil protection system that is not only modern and efficient but grounded in a human-centered approach.
Hernán Alejandro Hernández Rodríguez, head of the State Civil Protection Coordination (Procivy), outlined some of the preventative measures already underway. These include the inspection of emergency shelters in coastal regions and simulation drills carried out with multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Health, the State Welfare Ministry, the Ministry of National Defense, the Navy, and the state’s transportation authorities.
According to Hernández Rodríguez, the state has identified 1,240 facilities to be used as shelters during emergencies. Additionally, a public awareness campaign has launched across all major media platforms — radio, TV, print, and social media — to educate residents on the state’s alert system.
Training has also been a major focus. More than 600 civil protection personnel, operating from 106 municipal coordination units across Yucatán’s five regions, have already completed cyclone-season readiness programs.
Weather data was presented by José Luis Acosta Rodríguez, director of the Yucatán Peninsula Basin Agency of Conagua. He reported that between 13 and 17 tropical cyclones are expected to form in the region during this season. He also issued a warning that there is a 20 percent chance that one of these storms will directly impact the Yucatán Peninsula.
With that risk in mind, authorities reiterated the importance of continuous vigilance and public cooperation. “This year could bring challenges we have not yet faced,” said Governor Díaz Mena. “But by working together — all institutions, all citizens — we can be ready to respond quickly and effectively.”
The 2025 Civil Protection Council will remain active throughout the hurricane season, operating as a permanent planning and response body to monitor weather developments and coordinate state-wide actions as needed.
