In response to a series of 16 earthquakes recorded in the last eight months in southern Yucatán and the city of Mérida, the state will conduct its first-ever building evacuation drill. This drill is part of new preventative measures and the strengthening of protocols for responding to earthquakes.
Yesterday, Hernán Hernández Rodríguez, head of the State Civil Protection Coordination, announced that the drill will take place on Saturday, September 19, as part of National Civil Protection Day, and will coincide with the earthquake drill being held in Mexico City to commemorate the earthquakes of 1985 and 2017.
He added that in previous years, Yucatán conducted drills for hurricanes and fires, as these are the most frequent natural disasters. However, this year, after 16 earthquakes have been recorded in Yucatán in the last eight months, the drill will be carried out in all 106 municipalities, focusing on how to evacuate buildings in the event of seismic activity.
He explained that it is important for citizens to know the evacuation routes for buildings, the role of civil protection brigades, the designated meeting points, how to count the people inside a building, and when to re-enter buildings after a damage assessment.
“While Yucatán continues to be classified as a low-activity zone by the National Seismological Service, in the last week, when the earthquake in Ticul was recorded, there were 3,336 earthquakes nationwide, of which only one was registered in Yucatán. Therefore, the Seismological Service continues to classify us as a low-seismicity zone, and the state government is reinforcing its earthquake response protocols,” he stated.
The official said that as part of the preventive measures, they are promoting the importance of consulting the protocol for action in case of earthquakes, and that they have reinforced inspections so that buildings with a capacity greater than 25 people comply with carrying out drills twice a year, and reminded that non-compliance can lead to the suspension of activities or even closure.
Source: sipse
