The strong hailstorm that lasted more than ten minutes last Saturday night in Ziracuateiro affected more than a thousand families, a thousand hectares of blackberry, and a thousand hectares of avocado in this municipality.
The mayor, Carlos Sandoval Portugal, told QuadratÃn that the storm had caused serious damage to the homes of more than a thousand families, as the hail, which was uncommonly large, was shaped like a star. Carlos Sandoval said that the damage was substantial but that they currently did not have an estimate of it. Fortunately, he said, nobody had been hurt.
He stated that the greatest number of affected homes had been recorded in the community of Zirimicuaro, where more than 300 homes with wooden and laminated cardboard roofs were damaged. The rest of the affected homes belonged to other communities. He also said that a thousand hectares of blackberry had been completely lost because of the weather phenomenon as the fruit was almost ready to be harvested.
Additionally, he said, the storm affected nearly a thousand hectares of avocado. Thus, he said, in face of this contingency and the heavy losses we've had, the municipality is practically wrecked and they will have to postpone the annual Earth, Culture and Tradition Fair, which was scheduled for next week, until further notice. He also said that they had already delivered support, which consists of 150 bales of sheets, blankets and pantries, to several victims and that they would be delivering more support in the coming hours which could amount to 1,500 bales of sheets, 500 blankets and 1,000 pantries.
He stressed that the head of the Ministry of Social Policy, Oracio Days Mora, had already visited the municipality to provide support. Sandoval Portugal said the municipality was going to ensure that all affected families received support. Regarding the farmers, he said they would comply with the necessary procedures before the Sedru and Sagarpa so that they could receive support through the funds intended for disasters.
Source: Agencia QuadratÃn