During the 2021 hurricane season, Puerto Vallarta has designated, if necessary, up to 17 temporary shelters, with a capacity of 2,892 people.
This Thursday authorities from the three levels of government conducted a supervision tour of two of the 17 buildings that, if required, would be being enabled as temporary shelters for this year’s Hurricanes and Tropical Cyclones 2021 season.
Adrián Bobadilla García, Director of Civil Protection and Firefighters of Puerto Vallarta, explained that for this year it has been agreed to enable 17 spaces as temporary shelters, with a capacity of 2,892 people, which translates into the care of 723 families, assuming an average of 4 people per household.
He indicated that each of the properties are distributed throughout the Vallarta area, from Las Palmas to Boca de Tomatlán.
The properties have everything that sets the standard for their authorization: kitchen, electricity, water, drainage services, among others, thus guaranteeing an adequate stay for those who had to be evacuated.
Bobadilla García specified that this year the capacity in the temporary shelters was reduced, due to the last decree of the Health Board to maintain a healthy distance derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, so the space of 4 square meters per person is being respected.
The official emphasized that the shelters are duly protocolized, and will be enabled according to the risk that exists, and based on that, it is determined which location people can be transferred to, for which there is already a logistics and a previous prevention and coordination work between the different governments.
Bobadilla García recalled that a shelter is being opened “to go after the people we have identified who live in a risk zone. We have to be very clear in the message, take shelter, go to a safe place, with a family member; that is why everything depends on the Family Civil Protection Plan, we have identified some areas that at the given time, have to be evacuated at some point in an emergency”.
