The Mérida airport will serve as an alternative to Cancún due to the passage of Hurricane Beryl.
The Mérida airport will act as an alternative air bridge for Quintana Roo. Additionally, 1,170 temporary shelters have been set up in the state, and even the Hotel Association is preparing to receive tourists from Cancún who feel threatened by the imminent passage of Hurricane Beryl through the peninsula.
The administrator of the Mérida International Airport, Óscar Carrillo Maldonado, explained that there are already about 15 aircraft that have arrived at the terminal: “These are aircraft from Cancún, Cozumel, and Chetumal that have come to Mérida as an alternate airport for shelter because the hurricane will hit that area harder. Here we have hangars, and they come to protect themselves from the hurricane’s impact.”
Carrillo Maldonado commented that the Mérida airport is one of Cancún’s alternates, but he warned that this terminal could also be affected by the hurricane “so they also protect themselves with other aerodromes in the area to serve as a backup if needed.”
Regarding the anti-hurricane protocols that are legally practiced at the Mérida City International Airport, Carrillo Maldonado indicated that they are in the second phase of their protocol, which involves checking infrastructure, drainage, testing anti-cyclone curtains, and pruning trees.
“The first meeting of the Airport Operations and Security Committee was held to define actions according to the hurricane’s development; no cancellations are anticipated, everything continues according to schedule, but as the phenomenon approaches or gets closer to the Peninsula, other decisions will be made,” Carrillo Maldonado pointed out.
Meanwhile, the president of the Yucatán Hotel Association, Juan José Martín Pacheco, announced that they are preparing sufficient supplies, water, and food to attend to their guests and are reviewing safety protocols such as emergency exits and maintenance of their electric power plants.
The hotel leader explained that there are no lodging cancellations at the moment, “on the contrary, many of the guests who are in Cancún and the Riviera Maya decided to spend the weekend in Mérida, which, due to its distance from the sea, they consider safer.”
Hurricane Beryl Causes Panic Buying in Yucatán
The president of the Business Coordinating Council of Yucatán, Levy Abraham, acknowledged that some panic buying occurred in the state, so he urged the population to purchase products moderately to avoid shortages.
In this regard, the economist Javier Becerril explained that exaggerated or panic purchases should be avoided as they trigger inflation; if there is a shortage of products, prices automatically increase, and there are those who make large purchases to resell the items at higher prices.
“These types of phenomena can cause impacts on public health, social, and economic,” said Javier Becerril.
The governor of Yucatán, Mauricio Vila Dosal, reported through account X that the effects of the hurricane will be felt in that state starting Thursday afternoon, initially in the northeast and southeast municipalities, so he recommended all residents take the necessary precautions.
Meanwhile, the state’s Civil Protection director, Enrique Alcocer Basto, explained that he maintains close coordination with the Mexican Navy, the Mexican Army, and the National Guard so that, when the time comes, they can respond to any emergency, along with the State Public Security Secretariat and the police of the 106 municipalities that make up the entity.
Source: El Sol de Mexico
