The federal government has announced over 400 million dollars in reconstruction and rehabilitation funds for homes in Guerrero and Oaxaca that were devastated by the recent passage of Hurricane John.
According to a census by the Welfare Ministry, more than 40,000 homes were damaged by the storm, impacting approximately 153,000 people.
On Oct. 27, President Sheinbaum visited Acapulco, where she declared the state of emergency in Guerrero following Hurricane John concluded.
“Today we can say that the emergency is over and we are moving on to the next stage. This does not mean that we are done here. There is the clean-up aid, and then, depending on the results of the census, we will give subsequent financial support and even more support for housing,” Sheinbaum said during a press conference.
The president reported that 7.7 billion pesos (US $384 million) have been invested in disaster aid throughout 66 municipalities in Guerrero and Oaxaca. Of these resources, 6.7 billion pesos have been destined for Guerrero — with 51 municipalities affected — and 1 billion pesos to Oaxaca, with 15 municipalities damaged by the storm.
Aid of 8,000 pesos (US $400) was given to all homes in these states for clean-up. Additional support will be given to homes with minor or medium damage, which will receive 15,000 pesos (US $747); homeowners with major damages will receive 35,000 pesos (US $1,745); while those homes that suffered total losses will receive 60,000 pesos (US $3,000).
With an additional investment of 300 million pesos (US $15 million), the National Workers Housing Fund (Infonavit) announced its plans to begin reconstruction activities in the El Coloso and Alta Progreso neighborhoods of Acapulco, both of which suffered severe landslides and flooding due to the impacts of John. This funding is expected to support the rehabilitation of 6,000 housing units.
Infonavit will work with the housing non-profit Fundación Hogares to improve housing complexes and public spaces. The planned improvements include the construction of markets, as well as sports and recreational spaces aimed at boosting social interaction in the neighborhoods. The works are expected to take around one year and a half to complete and will benefit around 24,000 residents.
In Acapulco, Fundación Hogares will replicate the rehabilitation project it carried out in Jojutla in Oaxaca state following the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck central Mexico on September 19, 2017.
“Our focus is to use endemic materials for reforestation and replanting of areas, which guarantees that the rehabilitated spaces are sustainable in the long term,” said Madeleine Cortés Cravio, general director of Fundación Hogares.
Cortés Cravio emphasized that one of the lessons learned from recent natural disasters is the need to develop resilient infrastructure that can withstand future climate events.
Hurricane John hit coastal Guerrero as a Category 3 storm on Sept. 24, just one year after Category 5 Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco, one of Mexico’s main tourist destinations with a population of over one million people.
With reports from BBC, El Economista, El Sur Acapulco, El Sol de Cuernavaca, Forbes and La Jornada
