The Archdiocese of Acapulco, located in the Mexican state of Guerrero, has begun preparing its communities to respond to a potential disaster caused by possible earthquakes and the heavy rains expected in the coming months.
Through a message, the Archbishop of Acapulco, Mons. Leopoldo González, noted that authorities have reported that during this season there could be between five and six Category 1 and 2 hurricanes, as well as between four and five Category 3 to 5 hurricanes.
In this regard, the prelate said that he asked parish communities to “be prepared to welcome people in some space and have a basic food supply to provide food during the first two days of an emergency.”
The preparation comes after the impact of Hurricane Otis, which struck Acapulco as a Category 5 hurricane in October 2023 and caused severe damage in Guerrero. According to the Mexican government, approximately 200,000 homes and hundreds of businesses were affected by the hurricane. In addition, the disaster claimed the lives of 52 people and left 32 people missing.
Given the possibility of new weather events, Mons. González urged communities in the mountainous region to remain alert for possible landslides that could “block roads or damage homes.”
He noted that this requires communities to monitor “the stability of the slopes where some of our towns and settlements have been built,” while in areas between the mountains and the coast, he called for monitoring the flow of rivers and streams to prevent people from being swept away by the current.
In the coastal region, Mons. González warned that hurricanes can “strike, carry things away, and cause rivers to rise,” and therefore urged the population to remain attentive to official instructions.
The archbishop also called on people to prevent waste from clogging drains and drainage systems and causing water to enter homes. “For this reason as well, not throwing trash into the streets is a very important contribution to the common good,” he said.
September and the Earthquake Risk in Guerrero
In addition to the risks associated with the rainy season, Mons. González urged residents of the three regions of the archdiocese to prepare for the possibility of an earthquake.
Although earthquakes cannot be predicted, September is a reminder of some of the most significant earthquakes recorded in Mexico, including those in 1985, 2017, and 2021.
On September 7, 2021, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurred with its epicenter 14 kilometers southwest of Acapulco, Guerrero. It affected approximately 32,000 people, and the damage was estimated at approximately 209 million pesos.
Given this precedent, Mons. González urged people not to wait for an earthquake to occur before knowing how to respond, because “this requires us to be skilled at getting to safer areas as soon as an earthquake begins,” since “we do not know how intense or how long it will be.”
Preparation Within Families
As part of the preventive measures, Mons. González recommended that parents talk with their children about “where to go, where to meet, how to communicate, and what to take,” so that they can respond more quickly during an emergency.
He also recommended keeping important documents inside a plastic bag and in an identified location, as well as maintaining a supply of basic food. “A battery-powered flashlight is essential,” he added.
The prelate also urged people to remain attentive to news and recommendations from authorities and, for those living in rural areas, to monitor “river levels and the stability of slopes.”
In the event of any of these phenomena, he ultimately called on people to “remain calm in order to think and act prudently, and thus avoid putting their own safety or that of their family at risk.”
Source: aciprensa
