Puerto Vallarta’s Board of Tourism has announced that operations have returned to normal after Hurricane Willa.
The tourism infrastructure — including Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, which has remained open; highways, the marina, cruise port, and Pier Los Muertos, which provides access to areas south of Puerto Vallarta such as Yelapa — have returned to normal operations, according to the Board of Tourism.
City services are also going back to normal, including schools and garbage collection. Cleaning crews and public works and services personnel are working to clear debris left by the high winds and waves.
According to Adrian Bobadilla, head of Civil Protection and Puerto Vallarta’s Fire Department, a total of 587 tourists and 62 locals were housed in city shelters because they were in high-risk areas, mostly around local bodies of water. He also mentioned that many locals opted to stay with family members, while some hotels conducted voluntary evacuations according to their own contingency plans.
Mayor Davalos highlighted the work done by the different agencies involved, including Mexico’s Ministry of National Defense, the Navy, the Federal Police, the Ministry of the Interior, the VIII Sanitary Jurisdiction, State DIF, the State Civil Protection Unit, State Tourism Secretariat, SEAPAL Vallarta, DRSE and different municipal organizations.
He also recognized the active participation of neighborhood associations; the Association of Hotels; Coparmex, Mexico’s employers’ association; Canirac, the restaurant and food service industry association; local shopping centers and banking institutions; and the media, which, he said, served as a vital link with the population.