“What happened (on Friday) was particularly complex, as two situations coincided that, individually, usually impact the population.”
This was stated by Claudia González Góngora, president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE), when speaking about the blackout that affected the entire peninsula.
“On the one hand, there was a failure in the electricity supply; on the other, an intense storm worsened the situation in much of the metropolitan area.”
The president of Canirac (National Electricity Commission) also pointed out that it was not a planned outage: “It is important to emphasize that it was not a planned blackout, but rather an unexpected failure in the system.”
“From the first minutes of the contingency, the Federal Electricity Commission in the region maintained communication with us to share information as it was generated,” said the businesswoman.
Thousands of pesos lost due to a massive power outage.
During the power outage, several companies implemented emergency measures.
Some businesses adjusted shifts and schedules, while commercial and service sector businesses, such as restaurants and stores, chose to temporarily suspend operations to ensure the safety of their staff and customers.
“Among the actions taken, various industries adjusted their work schedules, some commercial and service companies—such as restaurants and stores—chose to temporarily suspend their activities to safeguard the safety of their workers and customers, and several activated their emergency power plants to keep essential processes running.”
He also commented that as power was restored in certain areas, activities gradually resumed.
These measures, although temporary, allowed for an orderly response to the contingency.
Although power began to be restored during the afternoon and evening of Friday, the effects were felt throughout the day in different areas.
However, due to the simultaneous occurrence of the blackout and the storm, it is difficult to establish an exact economic estimate.
“As the power outage coincides with the rains, it is difficult to establish an economic cost attributable to one phenomenon or the other.”
“For example, the rainfall alone would have reduced customer traffic to commercial and restaurant establishments, making it difficult to accurately quantify the sole impact of the blackout,” the business leader explained.
Finally, González Góngora reiterated the importance of seeking structural energy solutions for the region.
“At the Business Coordinating Council, we believe it is important to continue advancing fundamental solutions to the energy issue and strengthen the path toward self-sufficiency in the Peninsula, in order to provide greater certainty and competitiveness to the region,” she stated.
Blackout in the Yucatán Peninsula paralyzed commerce in Mérida
In Mérida’s Historic Center, some businesses attempted to operate relatively normally, while others were forced to close earlier than expected.
Miguel Uc Chacón, a retail chain employee, explained that the power outage limited his ability to communicate with other stores.
Although the downtown branch has a power generator, it only worked for a limited time and didn’t solve the main problem: the lack of internet access, which prevented electronic payments from being processed.
“The terminals and systems depend on the internet, so several sales couldn’t be completed. Here, the generator supported us, but other stores don’t have backups, and it’s a serious problem,” he noted.
Maite Santos, a salesperson at a clothing store, said that they were without power from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and when the situation was completely dark, they closed the store.
At her home in Cinco Colonias, power didn’t return until 8 p.m.
Sales at her workplace were minimal: without a cash register or terminals, the little they managed to sell was done manually.
According to him, the business reported losses exceeding 50% of what was expected.
“Even if we had a power plant, the lack of signal and internet would still leave us unable to sell,” he lamented.— Iván Canul Ek/ Ilse Noh Canché
Last Friday’s blackout impacted commercial activity in downtown Mérida.
Fernando Sánchez Contreras, manager of a convenience store, acknowledged that the blackout “hit them hard.”
Without power, they had to restrict customer access to areas illuminated by natural light. Some purchases were made in cash, but card payments were impossible.
The manager estimated the losses at between 5,000 and 10,000 pesos, given that it was a busy day.
Although they maintained their usual hours, he admitted that they don’t feel prepared to face another blackout:
“We couldn’t even work properly with a power plant, because without the internet, we couldn’t use billing systems.”
Source: yucatan
