FYI

Beach Communities,
The successful return of “Evenings by the Sea” to the port of Progreso, Yucatán

The event that was attended by the municipal president of Progreso, Julián Zacarías Curi, accompanied by his wife Alma Gutiérrez Novelo.
(TYT).- “Tonight we were able to enjoy an evening like we used to, entire families shared beautiful memories and we finally fulfilled our goal, which is the recovery of public spaces and the gradual reactivation of the economy in Progreso,” said Zacarías Curi.

With good attendance, both citizens of Progreso and national and international tourists, at 6:00 p.m. the concert started on the deck of the chocolate pier to pay a tribute to Mexican singer Luis Miguel, in the voice of guest artist Javier Alcalá.

During the event, attendees enjoyed live music, the sale of snacks, a unique decoration, as well as the other attractions offered by the renovated international boardwalk.

Simultaneously to this event, the “Bohemian Night” was also held in the house of culture, in which there were special guests who, to the rhythm of the Trova, enlivened the visit of the public.

Finally, the mayor thanked the good response to this type of event and invited all Yucatecans to continue visiting the port and its beach communities.

Beachhouse owners destroy the coastal dunes, and now the sea devours houses in Progreso

Beach erosion problems continue in Progreso, which has led residents of beach areas to look for viable and ecologically sustainable options that allow the recovery of a few meters of sand, as the sea impacts directly the foundations of beachhouses.

Coastal dunes form when wet sand is deposited along the coast and dries out and is blown along the beach. Dunes form where the beach is wide enough to allow for the accumulation of wind-blown sand, and where prevailing onshore winds tend to blow sand inland.

Coastal sand dunes are aeolian landforms, found along the majority of the world’s coasts. This ecosystem located at the spatial transition between terrestrial and marine environments can be found in coastal areas where a supply of sand?sized material is available to be transported by winds.

The coastal dune system is composed of three compartments: the shoreface (submerged beach), the beach (intertidal and supratidal), and the dune. These three compartments, being under permanent exchanges, must be considered as a whole

Due to the location of beach properties right next to the seashore in Progreso, water has become a serious inconvenience for the foundations of many houses, because the onslaught of the waves, together with the sand, causes gradual wear compromising the stability of the structures and, in many cases, causing considerable damage on walls, fences, stairs, and other structures.

According to data from the environmental authorities, the problems of erosion in these houses stem from their poor location as they are located on the coastal dune, an area that should never have been occupied and should be respected since it naturally functions as a line of defense for the breaking of the waves.

However, in the areas of Chuburná, Chelem, the eastern zone of Progreso, Chicxulub Puerto, and Uaymitun, many summer houses have been built on top of the coastal dune, right next to the seashore, facing beaches that are much less than ten meters long, so they directly suffer the effects of swells and winds.

It should be noted that the Constitution establishes that Mexico must have a Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat), which is a twenty-meter-wide strip of land adjacent to the beach.

The verification of the use and exploitation of the Zofemat, maritime beaches, and land reclaimed from the sea, administered by Semarnat, is the responsibility of Profepa and is strategic due to the wealth of its natural resources and the importance of the ecosystem.

Corona Virus

They report 6 new infections in Yucatan, one is from ProgresoPublished 13 hours ago the Apr 18, 2022For Drafting PH

Daily report of the Coronavirus in Yucatan corresponding to MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2022.

An expanded vaccination day will be implemented in Health Centers of 30 municipalities in the interior of the state and will be complemented by the work of 12 mobile vaccination units that will be deployed to visit various municipalities and police stations, reported the Ministry of Health (SSY).

The mandatory use of face masks for the entire population, including the vaccinated population, is reiterated, and the population is recommended to avoid the use of cloth face masks or scarves, since it is described that IT DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY PROTECTION AGAINST COVID, INCLUDING THE ÓMICRON VARIANT. To protect each other, the use of two-layer, three-layer or medical-grade masks such as KN95 is suggested, since these have up to 95% coverage against Omicron.

As has been pointed out, in the economic reopening the most important data are hospital occupancy and daily admissions. Today we have 7 patients in public hospitals.

102,684 patients have already recovered: they have no symptoms and cannot be contagious. This figure represents 93% of the total registered infections, which is 109,651.

In the last 24 hours, no deaths were reported and 6 new infections of Coronavirus were detected.

The Yellow Chipe: another reason to preserve the mangroves in the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Yellow Chipe has around 43 subspecies, among which Chipe Manglero is present, a kind of bird that is characterized by living in mangroves, in particular, in the Yucatan Peninsula, “the mangrove area that right now maintains an annual deforestation between one and three percent in the Peninsula, so its habitat is reducing, “said Professor Ernesto Gómez Uc, coordinator of the Bird Conservation Program at Pronatura Peninsula of Yucatan.
(La Jornada Maya).- All the life of this species is developed in mangroves, reproduction, food is in the same region; for this reason, although it is not currently a species considered endangered, the specialist finds that when living in an area that is classified as a threatened species in danger of extinction can be affected.

The Chipe Manglero dwells in the coastal area, so there is a risk of disappearance, particularly by “poorly planned” tourist developments, but also by houses that do not respect the coastal dune that erodes the beach.

“Pollution, excess lights, invasive tourism that does not respect nesting areas” are situations that put many species at risk, not only this species of bird but all those who live there. The expert pointed out that from April to July is the reproductive season, for which he suggests enjoying birdwatching from afar with binoculars if necessary, especially not to use automotive vehicles in the area.

The species is characterized by a red color on the head and a yellow chest, where they can have red spots This bird plays an important ecological role in the ecosystem because it controls pests such as mosquitoes, other insects, and they also disperse seeds.

In addition, the professor pointed out that being such a striking species because of its color it can also become an attraction for tourism, but there should be awareness of its importance and preservation, not only of the species but also from your home (the mangrove).

“Remember that Mangrove also functions as the first barrier to natural disasters such as hurricanes, storms, we have a barrier that can help us,” Ernesto Gomez Uc said, stressing the importance of preserving the home of this species and many other birds, also directly influences the human being, As it is at the same time a natural carbon dioxide capture that counteracts the effects of climate change.

Common Name: Yellow Chipe

Scientific name: Setophaga Petechia

Family: Yellow Chipe

Housing: Mangroves / Coastal Zone

Reproduction season: from April to July

Threats: Destruction of mangroves, pollution, excess lights, automotive vehicles.

These are the cleanest beaches to visit in Yucatan, according to Semarnat By Yucatan Times on April 16, 2022

There are a total of 17 beaches in Yucatan that are within the category of healthy areas and perfect to visit during Easter
Through a sampling of water quality, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) carried out a measurement of clean beaches in Yucatan, where they reported from 0 to 200 NMP/100 ml Enterococci, considering that they are suitable to be visited.

During Easter and the upcoming summer holidays, the arrival of foreign tourists and those from the interior of the Republic tends to increase in Yucatan, choosing the beaches as the favorite places to enjoy their vacation.

In this positive category, according to the water quality sampling carried out by Semarnat, there are 17 beaches in 11 municipalities: Dzemul, Telchac Pueblo, Progreso, Celestún, Sisal (Hunucmá), Sinanché, Yobaín, Dzidzantún, Dzilam de Bravo. , Rio Lizards and Ixil.

The clean beaches are San Benito, Telchac I and II, Playa Progreso I, II, III and IV, Chelem I and II, Chuburná Puerto I and II, Chicxulub Puerto I and Chicxulub Puerto, Celestún, Sisal, San Crisanto, Chabihau, Santa Clara, Dzilam Puerto, San Felipe, Río Lagartos, Las Coloradas and El Cuyo.

These are the main ports of Yucatan, which, according to the antecedents, have not changed their position, that is, the local beaches are within the category of healthy and adequate areas to take advantage of them this season, without any fear.

Generally, the stay in these ports is of local people. However, on these dates families from other parts of the country usually visit Yucatan attracted by the tranquility, its traditions, its gastronomy, and of course the sea and the beach.

Puebla Food Bank Of interest!

Puebla Food Bank staffer Rodrigo Bravo Morales confers with client Margarita Aguilar about her hearing problems after a making a food delivery to her home. 

Food banks combat Mexico’s twin plagues of hunger and massive food waste
Each day, nearly 1 Mexican an hour dies of hunger and 50,000 tonnes of food are thrown away.

Margarita Aguilar Bonilla sat alone in her modest home in Lomas de San Miguel, a largely working-class district on the eastern edge of Puebla city, when two staffers from the Puebla Food Bank appeared at her door, bearing smiles, hugs and enough food for the elderly woman and her disabled son to last a week.

The delivery was spread out over the kitchen table and onto surrounding chairs: items ranging from a large bag of red, yellow and green bell peppers, a ripe pineapple, fresh apples, carrots and chayotes to fruit juice, milk, rice and beans, pasta, bread and even pastries and cupcakes.

“This is so important to us; it’s a huge help,” Aguilar said. “And it’s a blessing because it also delivers the people who deliver the food. The attention they give to elderly people — they take care of us.”

The bounty will not only save Aguilar and her son, it will save the food itself.

All of it was “rescued” from local companies, farms, restaurants and greenhouses. Without the Puebla Food Bank, most of it would have been tossed into a landfill.

The Puebla Food Bank’s constantly busy receiving, weighing and dispatching food. An upcoming expansion will allow it to process more food and also give classes to recipients about food self-sufficiency.
The twin plagues of food waste and starvation are of epidemic proportions in Mexico, where a staggering amount of nutritious, fresh food is thrown away each day even as millions of people go to bed hungry.

Enter the National Network of Food Banks, with 54 chapters throughout Mexico. These nonprofits, including the large, active one in Puebla, act as a bridge between food waste and feeding people in dire need.

“Every day, 50,000 tonnes of food are lost in Mexico; nearly 40% of the food produced is thrown away,” said Puebla Food Bank Director José Miguel Rojas Vértiz Bermúdez. “But even worse, on that same day, 50 million people endure hunger and malnutrition.”

Each year, some 8,000 Mexicans die of hunger, nearly one every hour.

And there’s more. The annual pollution and wasted resources from producing, processing and transporting all that food, which will never be eaten, takes a huge toll.

“It equals the amount of vehicle pollution created in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City combined,” Rojas said.

Producing the throwaway surplus also consumes 40 billion liters of water annually, “or enough to provide Mexicans potable water for nearly two and a half years,” he said.

COVID-19 has made these two problems worse, as people lost jobs and other resources. According to the National Network of Food Banks, the number of Mexicans suffering from hunger increased by 9% since the pandemic, as did the total amount of wasted food.

A recent visit to the Puebla Food Bank revealed a massive, clean, modern facility bustling with staff and volunteers who were receiving, sorting and dispatching food — not only dry and canned goods but also fresh produce that might not be ready for prime time but was still eminently edible, including slightly bruised tomatoes and carrots that were small, broken, or looked like the face of Lyndon Johnson.

The loading dock was beeping with forklifts, busy receiving, weighing and then dispatching food.

“The difference between what we take in and what we deliver in kilos is minimal,” said Procurement Coordinator Guadalupe Carmona Calva. “We try to be as efficient and transparent as possible. We get it out almost as quickly as we receive it,” she said, explaining that the shelf life was so limited.

Food rejects appropriate for animals are carefully excised from human deliveries and dispatched to the Africam safari park just outside Puebla. “Those animals need to eat too, and this way, nothing is wasted,” Carmona said.

Some of the people they serve, Puebla Food Bank staffer Rodrigo Bravo said, “live in one-room homes without furniture and sleep on cardboard on the floor.” UN
Unspoiled food is delivered to people in the states of Puebla and neighboring Tlaxcala via climate-controlled trucks that transport them to dozens of distribution centers throughout the region or to some 120 institutions, including hospitals and orphanages.

The food bank sends 14,000 hot meals a month to eight comedores (dining rooms), runs a cafeteria for its own volunteers and staff and operates the “Ruta de Caridad” (Route of Charity), which offers food, companionship and other services to people who cannot leave their homes.

All told, that’s 1,400 tonnes of rescued food a month distributed to 150,000 people via 45,000 deliveries in 250 communities.

Alexandra Ladrón de Guevara, director of institutional outreach, is pleased with the bank’s progress but given that 1.5 million people in the State of Puebla still face food insecurity, she admits that there is a long way to go.

Still, support for the project comes from an impressive list of places — from the state and city governments (although the foundation is strictly nonpolitical); from foundations; from large companies based in Puebla, including Volkswagen and Audi; from universities and students; and from individual donors. “There are many ways to help,” she said. “Some people donate 300 pesos a month to sponsor a family, and some literally drop off rice and beans at the bank.”

Back in Lomas de San Miguel, Food Bank Route of Charity Coordinator Rodrigo Bravo Morales was chatting with Aguilar. She is frail and facing almost complete hearing loss, while her adult son has debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. Neither can work, and they depend on the weekly deliveries for survival.

Bravo is trying to find a better hearing aid for Aguilar, who worked for nine years on a noisy auto-parts assembly line before being forced to retire. Her paperwork fell through some corporate cracks, and she never collected a pension.

He has managed to procure a new toilet and bathroom sink for her home. “We have an alliance with Walmart, which donates household appliances,” he said. “They are slightly damaged, maybe a dent, but still perfectly good. So, we don’t just rescue food. We let nothing go to waste for people who need it.”

The largely homebound food bank clients on the Route of Charity receive more than just physical sustenance.

“We visit each of them once a week to check on their well-being and to see if they need anything, and we arrange for a doctor through our alliance with the (nonprofit) Dr. Simi Foundation to visit them twice a month,” Bravo said.

For some of the food bank’s clients, those who bring the weekly food deliveries are the only visitors they see. “We have become like family,” he said, adding that he sometimes arrives with flowers and a guitar to serenade Señora Aguilar.

“I always try to make them a little coffee or dessert,” Aguilar said. “They are out there running around all the time, and they deserve it.”

Puebla Food Bank
Each month, the Puebla Food Bank rescues 1,400 tonnes of food that would otherwise be thrown away from sites ranging from companies and farms to restaurants and greenhouses. PUEBLA FOOD BANK
While Aguilar’s situation is difficult, other food bank clients have even greater challenges.

“Some people have nothing at all,” Bravo said. “They live in one-room homes without furniture and sleep on cardboard on the floor. We try to get them clothing, beds, sofas, stoves and fridges, all donated.”

In poorer communities, health problems complicate hunger exponentially. One family nearby is an older woman with an adult daughter with severe epilepsy and constant seizures.

“About two years ago, she had a seizure and fell onto a hot barbeque, burning about half of her body,” Bravo said. “The mother had to quit work to care for her daughter and then she herself fell and broke her ankle. It’s a very difficult situation. We managed to get her a wheelchair.”

Many client families have members with intellectual disabilities, paralysis, brain disease, or illnesses such as autoimmune disorders or severe GI problems.

“In many, but not all cases, they are going to need our help forever,” Carmona said. “Other clients who lost their jobs or had pay cuts will eventually be able to buy their own food again.”

And that, she said, is the overriding goal.

The food bank is currently building a large extension onto its facility, using donated sheetrock from a United States-based company. It will not only expand their capabilities for food storage, processing and delivery, it will also have dedicated spaces for training clients in food self-sufficiency and economic independence.

“Our goal is that [one day] the Food Bank will no longer exist,” Carmona said, “because people are no longer hungry.”

If you are interested in supporting the Puebla Food Bank with a donation, you can reach them via their Spanish-language website. If you don’t understand Spanish, you can make a donation online at the website Global Giving.

Covid

Only 11 positive cases of Covid reported this Monday in YucatanPublished 12 hours ago the Apr 11, 2022For progress today

This is the medical report for this Monday, April 11:

Today begins the application of the third dose of the Coronavirus vaccine for young people from 18 to 29 years of Merida, a process that will last until April 16. Simultaneously, the application of vaccines began in 7 more municipalities, where those who do not have their scheme will be able to receive the first, second or third dose as the case may be.

The mandatory use of face masks is reiterated for the entire population, including the vaccinated population, and it is recommended that the population avoid the use of cloth face masks or scarves, since it is described that IT DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY PROTECTION AGAINST COVID, INCLUDING THE ÓMICRON VARIANT, therefore , to protect us all, the use of two-layer, three-layer or medical-grade masks such as KN95 is suggested, since these have up to 95% coverage against Omicron.

As has been pointed out, in the economic reopening the most important data are hospital occupancy and daily admissions. Today we have 11 patients in public hospitals.

102,662 patients have already recovered: they have no symptoms and cannot be contagious. This figure represents 93% of the total registered infections, which is 109,631.

Today no new infections of Coronavirus were detected:

Of the 109,631 positive cases, 761 are from another country or another state.

Specifically, in Mérida, 68,577 people infected with Coronavirus have been diagnosed (accumulated cases as of April 10), who live in:

17,651 in the North zone

16,730 in the East zone

6,512 in the downtown area

10,935 in the South zone

16,749 in the Poniente area

No deaths are reported in this medical part.

In total, there are 6,931 people who have died from the Coronavirus.

Of the active cases, 27 are stable, isolated, monitored by SSY medical personnel; have mild symptoms.

As already mentioned, 11 of the positive cases are in public hospitals and in total isolation. There are other patients awaiting diagnosis.

The age range of the cases is from 1 month to 107 years.

THE WEEKLY INDICATORS OF THE STATE HEALTH TRAFFIC LIGHT ARE GREEN.

The Manuel Crescencio Rejon International Airport was first built in 1928 and has been remodeled and enlarged often since the late 1960s. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
That new Mérida airport went from trial balloon to the construction phase awfully fast. Work on the site begins at the end of April.

Francisco Cervantes Díaz, president of the Yucatán Business Coordinating Council, indicated that the new Mérida airport would be included in the federal government’s third infrastructure package. While private investment was said to be funding the airport, taxpayers will have to pay for roads and other improvements leading to it.

The Merida international airport in the mid-20th century when its location was far from the city center. Photo: Courtesy
Renderings haven’t even been released, but the new Mérida airport is timed to begin construction after a special April 10 ballot initiative on whether or not voters want President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to finish out his six-year term.

The “revocation of mandate” vote was one of López Obrador’s campaign promises before he was elected in 2018. He is not expected to lose his seat in office after the referendum.

Previously: Newly renovated airport will be trashed, replaced with a new one

The new airport in Poxilá will be well outside of Mérida’s city limits. YM graphic with photo from Google Earth
The new air terminal in Poxilá was promoted by Yucatecan businessman José Antonio Loret de Mola Gómory. He will develop the entire associated complex, and ASUR will manage it as they do with the existing complex, the one in Cancún, and seven other Mexican airports.

Moving the airport will also free up acres of land for new commercial or residential development in the city, where land is at a premium. When the airfield was first established in the 1920s, its location was considered remote.

Merry-go-round for wheelchairs and a new dinosaur park are nearly ready in Progreso

A carousel ride for people with disabilities is being installed on Progreso’s malecón. Photo: Courtesy
Yucatán’s top port city is installing a new carousel ride on its boardwalk, but this time it’s designed to be more inclusive.

The merry-go-round has been designed with a ramp and places for wheelchairs, said Progreso Mayor Julián Zacarías Curi.

“Now on the traditional malecón, we will have a new carousel for people with disabilities and for the whole family,” Zacarías Curi wrote on social media. He said the project was “in coordination with private initiative to achieve rehabilitated and inclusive spaces for families from Progreso.”

Further inland, the Sendero Jurásico, or Jurassic Trail, is getting close to completion.

The park containing lifesize replicas of dinosaurs — a reference to the Chicxulub Crater left by the asteroid that killed them — will be an engaging attraction, the mayor promised.

“I took a tour of the facilities of this theme park, to supervise and fine-tune details of the place that will tell the story that changed the course of life on our planet, more than 66 million years ago,” he posted on his Facebook account.

But for now, although it’s an easy matter to pull over and explore prematurely, the park is officially off-limits to visitors.