What to do in case of a Hurricane in Tulum***

Hurricane season is upon us once again. With the beautiful summer weather comes risks of tropical depressions and hurricanes for the next several months. It is still fine to visit Tulum and the Rivera Maya during hurricane season but there are some things that you will want to know in order to ensure you are safe in a hurricane in Tulum.

One huge advantage to a hurricane is that is almost never comes out of nowhere. There is usually several days notice before a hurricane hits Tulum and this is the time that you will use to get everything ready for you and your family.

There are 3 thing that you will want to do before, during and after a hurricane in Tulum to make sure that everything and everyone stay safe.

If the notice comes in that there is going to be a hurricane, follows these steps.

Before:
-Get some bottled water. You will want to have plenty for both drinking as well as showers if needed.
-Have enough canned and packaged food to supply you and your family.
-Protect personal documents, money and person objects.
-Have candles and matches as well as a battery powered flashlight with extra batteries.
-Make sure to have any needed medications with you in the case of a sudden evacuation.
-Ask the people where you are staying where you go if you need information. These are generally schools and public buildings in the area.
** If authorities tell you that you should evacuate, you should not take this as a "you may want to consider..." type of a warning. If they tell you should evacuate, it is because it is what is best for everyone.***

During:
-Once a hurricane has reached a certain distance from any certain state, the authorities will begin issuing updates every 3 hours over radio about the path and speed of the hurricane as well as any other important pieces of information.
-Turn off your propane gas tank if you have one and make sure it is tightly closed.
-Get away from the sea and protect yourself from the wind.
-Do not leave your house or shelter until the authorities have announced that it is safe to do so.
** Beware that if the eye of a hurricane is going to pass directly through a town, then it is going to appear calm. During this time do not leave your house because the winds quickly increase and change direction.**

After:
-Wait to return to devastated areas until the authorities have indicated that there is no more danger.
-Do not move seriously injured people, report them to the authorities to ensure that you do not injure them further.
-Do not touch any fallen wires.
-Be careful of fences, houses and building in the area because they could be in danger of collapsing.

The pone number for emergencies in Tulum is 066 (This is like the 911 of the USA)
The phone number for the Sistema Estatal de Proteccion Civil- Quinatana Roo is 01 (984)871-2688.

The information for the post came directly from the posters and fliers that are posted all over town.

These are the colors of the warnings and what they mean in increasing order.
Blue: Minimal danger (approach-notice)
issued when a tropical cyclone has been detected or when the wind line of 39.15 mph of the cyclone is over 72 hours away. Updates will be issued every 24 hours.

Green: Low danger (approach- prevention)
issued when a tropical cyclone has approached and is at a distance that the wind line of 39.15 mph of the cyclone will hit a specific area between 72 and 24 hours away depending on its intensity. Updates will be issued every 12 hours.

Yellow: Moderate danger (approach-preparation)
issued when a tropical cyclone has approached and is at a distance that the wind line of 39.15 mph of the cyclone will hit a specific area between 60 and 24 hours depending on the intensity. Bulletins will issued every 6 hours.

Orange: High Danger (approach- Alarm)
issued when a tropical cyclone has approached and is at a distance that the wind line of 39.15 mph of the cyclone will hit a specific area between 36 and 24 hours depending on the intensity. Bulletins will issued every 3 hours.

Red: Maximum danger (approach- Affectation)
issued when a tropical cyclone has approached and is at a distance that the wind line of 39.15 mph of the cyclone will hit a specific area in 18 hours or less. Bulletins will issued every 3 hours.

Hurricanes are a part of life here in Tulum. If you are prepared and know what you need to do to remain safe then you will be just fine.

Information for this post came from the brochure provided by the state department, Sistema Estatal de Proteccion Civil Quintana Roo.