Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara has announced that all profits from the Guelaguetza festival, the state’s preeminent Indigenous cultural event that takes place throughout July, will be devoted to the reconstruction of regions destroyed by Hurricane Erick.
In a social media post on Friday, Jara announced the creation of a Guelaguetza fund, with all ticket sales from the festival’s two iconic “Mondays on the Hill” (Los lunes del cerro) being redirected to hurricane clean-up efforts.
“Our sisters and brothers are not alone, and we will not abandon them,” he wrote. “We will work to get [the coastal areas] back on their feet and strengthen the region.”
The Guelaguetza festival is an annual celebration of Oaxaca’s rich cultural and ethnic diversity, showcasing traditional dances, music, food, and crafts from the state’s eight geographic regions.
In addition to the 40 million pesos (US $2.1 million) expected from the Guelaguetza’s profits, Jara said his government would also redirect profits from the state’s Mezcal Fair.
Taking place July 18-29, the Mezcal Fair is expected to attract 132,000 people and generate more than 31 million pesos (US $1.6 million).
Even so, Jara said he expects the cost of rebuilding the affected areas will exceed the funds collected from July’s festivals.
Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached Mexico’s coast, but weakened to a Category 3 before making landfall on June 19. It came ashore in extreme western Oaxaca, east of Punta Maldonado — between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido — with 125 mph winds, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.
After rapid intensification, Hurricane Erick makes landfall in Oaxaca as a Category 3 storm
Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, flooding and downed power lines which left roughly 277,000 homes without electricity for several hours. Jara said about 25% of the 10,000 homes in the region were completely destroyed.
In another social media post, Jara praised the efforts of federal, state and local officials, as well as the public in general, for their efforts to re-establish basic services, re-open roads and highways and distribute provisions to those affected by Erick.
Employees of the state’s Potable Water and Sewage Services Operating System were particularly busy. In addition to assessing water supplies in affected areas, they affixed giant tarps as temporary protection to 50 homes whose roofs had been destroyed and distributed food supplies to more than 500 families.
On June 27, Jara reported that the municipality of San Francisco Ozolotepec was still cut off from assistance by land after a hillside collapsed and buried the lone road into the area. Residents from three towns in the municipality were receiving humanitarian aid by air, carried out by the Army, while the state worked to clear the road.
That same day, the state’s Tourism Ministry issued a statement saying that several coastal towns and municipalities that avoided the brunt of Erick’s fury were open for tourism.
With reports from Milenio, Quadratín Oaxaca and Agencia Oaxaca MX
