Orders to suspend navigation and temporarily close ports and the designation of Merida’s Airport as an alternative for deviated flights, if necessary, are some of the preventive measures that have already been taken….
MERIDA — As a precautionary measure for Tropical Storm Nate, Merida International Airport will function as an alternate terminal. Since Thursday October 5, aircraft that are based in Chetumal, Cozumel and Cancun, in Quintana Roo State, have been arriving in order to guard against the storm.
Most of these are of private use, seeking shelter from the bad weather as a result of “Nate”. However, this does not mean that the airports of Quintana Roo or Campeche are closed. “We only give to the planes one more option,” a Merida airport official said.
On the other hand, according to information from the State Civil Protection Unit, it is expected that the effects of this phenomenon for Yucatan State are heavy rains with very strong points to the east, center, north and northeast of the State this Friday and Saturday.
Also the Regional Captain of the Port of Progreso, Bernardo Crespo Silva, announced the closure of maritime navigation from Friday due to the effects of Tropical Storm Nate.
He said the order must be followed by 15,000 fishermen, 5,550 smaller boats, as well as larger boats, because the effects of Tropical Storm Nate will begin tonight Friday October 6 in Yucatan state.
Nate Storm, (Photo: Fox News)
The ports that are closed to maritime navigation are Progreso, Telchac Puerto, Celestún, Sisal, Dzilam de Bravo, among others; he also explained that the fishermen were already alerted of the suspension of maritime navigation from today, and he expects that the seamen will abide the order and not take risks to go out to sea.
Crespo Silva warned that the Rio Lagartos, Las Coloradas, San Felipe and Cuyo, Tizimín municipalities are where the weather phenomenon will be crossing towards the United States.
In Cozumel, Quintana Roo the port was closed to vessels smaller than 40 feet in length. Some schedules of the federal route have changed, and eight cruises that were scheduled to arrive between Friday and Saturday at the port of Cozumel were cancelled.
Despite all these measures and the possible effects that will be felt during this day by tropical storm “Nate,” all the maritime, air and other services will continue their operations as usual on Cozumel. Health authorities will maintain guards at medical institutions and two shelters will be activated. Authorities of Sedena and Semar announced that they have monitoring personnel. CAPA and CFE brigades arrived on the island.
In the case of the Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo (Apiqroo) in Cozumel, the head of the organization in Cozumel, Emilio Villanueva Sosa, reported that due to the presence of the storm “Nate” on the coast of Quintana Roo, several shipping companies notified their cancellation of arrival for this Friday and Saturday. Oasis of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, Carnival Dream, Carnival Splendor, MSC Opera and Carnival Breeze, which were scheduled to arrive this Friday October 6, canceled their trips to the port of Cozumel. Arrivals of the Carnival Triumph and Carnival Sensation, scheduled for Saturday, still await their rescheduling for the following week.
Jhony Aguilar, Area Superintendent of the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) in Cozumel, reported that in addition to the preventive measures that have already been published in local news papers, such as cutting bushes, will be counted in the island with human material and own resources for the work of the electricians, in order to be able to give the attention if necessary with the support brigades.
In the same vein, Javier Aguirre Cruz, manager of the Water and Sewerage Commission (CAPA) in the town, said that this Friday will have on the island of Cozumel the unit type Vactor, as well as 10 HP engines, which are would be activating immediately in the catchment areas, he said.
The management of the Hotel Association of Cozumel (AHC), represented by Isela Valenzuela Jiménez, announced that until today, there had been no changes in the numbers of hotel occupancy, since the activity remained normal, maintaining 35.88 percent among the 22 hotels that count three thousand 500 rooms. She said that these accommodation centers, four operate as self-refuge.
Sources:
- http://sipse.com/milenio/alternative_airport
- http://www.yucatanalamano.com/ports_closure
- http://yucatanalamano.com/8_cruises_cancelled_cozumel
