In addition to the de-silting of rivers and streams, Civil Protection and Firefighters visit temporary shelters and notify families living in risk areas.
As prevention measures against the next storm season of rains and tropical cyclones, which officially begins on May 15 for the Pacific Ocean, the municipal government of Puerto Vallarta carries out cleaning and de-silting tasks in rivers and streams, in order to avoid floods that could endanger the lives and property of Vallartans.
The director of Civil Protection and Firefighters, Adrián Bobadilla García, announced that the Desazolves Program is carried out without setbacks, but with a greater workload than that registered in other years. Resulting from materials in the channels, as is the case of the Pitillal River, where the work was doubled in this occasion. Regardless, the work is maintained in each area so that the tributaries are fully cleared.
He indicated that although this program began last January, the cleaning is carried out permanently. “It is a constant program that never stops, the rains come and the work never stops. We continue to work, though at some points we did have a considerable slowdown where there was a lot of material and that is why it is taking us a little more time, but we hope to reach May on schedule with considerable progress.”
He explained that along with these tasks, a review of the temporary shelters is already being carried out, where every year a visit is made checking “to see that we do not have considerable changes that could remove them from the list; We are already working on this in coordination with the DIF System, and in due course we will make an official tour with the authorities.”
The risk areas within the municipality are also being evaluated, and the people who settle in these areas are being informed, so that they are aware of where they are, and where the closest shelters are. "All of these are preparations prior to the tropical cyclone season, and we are already making progress."
Adrián Bobadilla also used this opportunity to invite the population to do their bit in taking preventive actions, noting that with the arrival of the first rains it is always common that with the currents come garbage, furniture, and even stoves and refrigerators.
"We know that there are houses next to the rivers, the recommendation is that they do not throw garbage into the riverbeds because that causes clogging in the lower parts and on the bridges, and that could lead to overflow especially of the channels for the runoff of the water from the highest part. So, the call is that they help us to keep our streams and our channels clean so that this garbage does not go down to the sea, "he said.