Latin America Airport Authorities Begin Emergency Hurricane Training

With the start of hurricane season fewer than three weeks away (hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30), airports have begun emergency training sessions, according to Rivera Maya News.

A technical workshop held at the International University of Florida was the base for authorities to prepare airports before the tropical cyclone season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who offered airports tips on how they can better prepare and take precautions on wind storms and tropical cyclones.

A discussion panel was also held on the Resilience Program for Ports and Airports of the Americas Relief Team, which addressed various issues such as the handling of drones and hot-air balloons during emergencies.

The seminar was attended by Cancun’s Aeroportuario del Sureste Group, as well as numerous other Latin American/Caribbean airport authorities such as Saint Maarten, Miami, Curacao, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, Honduras, Aruba and Puerto Rico.

According to Global Weather Oscillationsthe 2018 Atlantic hurricane season is going to be comparable to last year, which ended with 17 named storms and 10 hurricanes, six of which were considered major. In anticipation of the strong hurricane season, travel insurance provider InsureMyTrip reports it is expecting a 20 percent jump in call volume from travelers seeking insurance protection. In the Caribbean, the 2017 hurricanes resulted in an estimated loss of of 826,100 visitors, compared to pre-hurricane forecasts, according to The World Travel & Tourism Council's “Resilience and Recovery” report.

Last year, Mexico was hit by Hurricane Katia and Tropical Storm Nate, among others.

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