PUERTO VALLARTA, Jal. — Sirens cut through the late-morning calm at 11:30 a.m. today, sending thousands of residents, tourists and workers spilling into designated assembly points as Puerto Vallarta took part in Mexico’s First National Drill 2025. The exercise tested the city’s readiness for a hypothetical magnitude-8.1 earthquake whose epicenter was placed 15.38 kilometres southwest of Careyes, municipality of La Huerta, at a depth of 11.3 kilometres.
According to Jalisco’s Regional Civil Protection and Fire Department, more than 8,000 participants evacuated around 350 public and private buildings, including hotels, schools and office complexes. Municipal facilities such as the city hall, the Municipal Administrative Unit and the Regional Delegation of State Services were among the first to empty out as internal brigades guided employees and visitors to safety zones laid out in advance.
Hotel staff along the city’s tourism corridor enacted their own protocols, ushering guests out of high-rise towers and beachfront resorts within minutes of the alarm. Drill observers reported orderly departures and clear communication via Spanish- and English-language loudspeaker messages, a crucial element for a destination that welcomes millions of international visitors each year. (Details provided by local authorities.)
The National Drill, organised by the federal Civil Protection system, unfolded simultaneously across the country. In 11 states, the seismic alert blared from more than 14,000 loudspeakers and a cell-broadcast test message reached roughly five million mobile phones. The Navy conducted a parallel tsunami-warning exercise along the Pacific coast.
Puerto Vallarta’s scenario mirrored the national hypothesis but focused on regional fault lines that have produced destructive quakes in the past. Civil Protection officials said the drill helps brigades “identify areas for improvement and shorten reaction times” in a real emergency. Final participation figures and response-time metrics will be released after agencies review field reports.
Local authorities urged residents to use the drill as a reminder to update household emergency plans, keep “go-bags” stocked with essentials and learn evacuation routes for workplaces, schools and accommodation. Another nationwide drill is scheduled for September, coinciding with the anniversary of Mexico’s 1985 and 2017 earthquakes.
