The interim mayor of Puerto Vallarta, Jorge Antonio Quintero Alvarado, released the preliminary report on the damage caused by the passage of Hurricane Nora in Puerto Vallarta, which was mostly caused by the overflow of the Cuale and Pitillal rivers.
Accompanied by the secretaries of the State Social Assistance System, Alberto Esquer Gutiérrez and of Infrastructure and Public Works, David Zamora Bueno, as well as the directors of DIF Jalisco, Juan Carlos Martín Mancilla, the State Unit of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Víctor Hugo Roldán Guerrero, Civil Protection and Firefighters of the municipality, Adrián Bobadilla García and Beach Tourism, Susana Rodríguez Mejía, announced at a press conference the balance of the effects that have been detected, as well as some of the actions that will be implemented.
The interim mayor highlighted that in the downtown area there were about 12 blocks with damage due to the overflow of the Cuale River, among these effects are the collapse of the old bridge of the southern entrance to the city; the partial fall of a hotel with the loss of the life of a minor whose body has already been rescued; the dragging of a vehicle with a person on board who is still in search with the support of the Navy, damage to the Río Cuale market, as well as the collapse of a part of Manantial Street, which is the access to neighborhoods such as Buenos Aires, Paso Ancho, Paso del Guayabo and other rural communities.
Likewise, the overflow of the Pitillal River was recorded, which made it necessary to evacuate about 200 people from the Exhaciendas del Pitillal neighborhood; Four houses were flooded, one in El Pitillal and three in the center, among other damages. Four temporary shelters were installed that initially housed about 50 people in two of these facilities; However, some decided to move to the homes of relatives, so that only 7 people remained in the CECyTEJ and about 20 people in the Conalep de Ixtapa.
The mayor explained that they are already working on the sanitation and cleaning of the affected areas, also together with the heads of Social Assistance and Infrastructure and Public Works of the state, a tour was carried out to analyze the structural damage to the bridges and to see what programs and supports can be used to support the affected people in their businesses and homes; In addition to the fact that the State Trust for Natural Disasters is already active, in which the state government contributes 50 percent of the resources and the municipality the other 50 percent.
The Director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Adrián Bobadilla García, stressed that there is still an operation deployed because it is still in the emergency stage since the flow of the rivers remains at a significant flow. He stressed that constant monitoring of the Ameca River also continues, which clarified that there is no intention to close the bridge that connects Vallarta with Bahía de Banderas. Similarly, the Director of the State Unit, Víctor Hugo Roldán, indicated that there will still be remnants of the hurricane.
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The Secretary of Social Assistance, Alberto Esquer, who is President of the State Trust for Natural Disasters, explained the operation of this government body and the way it provides support to the population, to affected businesses, and to the rehabilitation of the infrastructure, so from this Monday the technical committees together with the municipality, begin with their reports that will be due within 30-days from each municipality to apply for State funds.
Regarding the damage to the municipality’s infrastructure, the person in charge of the area in the state, David Zamora Bueno, referred to the collapse of the bridge over the Cuale River, which occurred due to river swelling and currents, therefore, once the current goes down, the engineering and design works will begin to replace the bridge. He pointed out that the conditions of the surrounding bridges will also be reviewed to guarantee their safety. Work will be done on a retaining wall that supports Manantial street.
The interim mayor of Puerto Vallarta, Jorge Antonio Quintero Alvarado, released the preliminary report on the damage caused by the passage of
