2010 hurricanes

Mexico is one of the most affected countries, or perhaps the most impacted by GCC in the world. East Coast where the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are located, face each year several storms and tropical cyclones (^{CNA, 2012}) (Figure 1). For example in 2005 in the Gulf of Mexico five hurricanes were formed in three months: Dennis on July 10^th and Emily the 17^th from the same month, Katrina on August 23^rd with very well-known consequences for the city of New Orleans, Rita on September 23^rd also hitting the Gulf Coast of Mexico, and the United States of America; Category 3 Wilma on October 21^st, 2005 in the Caribbean Sea; all of them causing great losses in economic activities and infrastructure, but mostly lives in Mexico, Caribbean countries such as Cuba and EU.UU.

Figure 1 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico (^{CNA, 2012}). 

Veracruz and neighboring states like Tabasco, Chiapas and Oaxaca, in 2010 were impacted by three hurricanes in a row. Storm Frank (August 21^st-23^rd) hitting the Pacific Coast but its rain reached the Gulf of Mexico overfilling the Tezmacal and Miguel Aleman dams in Veracruz and Oaxaca. In this time the floodgates of the dams had be open to drain water excess and avoid bursting with unpredictable damage. Then there was the first evacuation of the emblematic city of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz (cultural heritage of humanity) of 20 000 inhabitants.

With Tropical Storm Frank the entire Papaloapan River basin was flooded, where hundreds of fish farms are located, all of them with losses of 100% bio-mass: fingerlings (small fish in growth stage) and harvest, and significant loss of infrastructure (Figure 2).

Figure 2 2010 Hurricanes in Veracruz. 

Hurricane Karl formed from September 11^th in the northern coast of Venezuela, moving towards the north and on September 16 Karl became the strongest hurricane that has crossed over the Campeche Bay from 60 years ago. This impacted on September 17, 2010 at 11:30 am, one day after celebrating the bicentennial of national independence, as Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, on central Veracruz, exactly in the city Antigua 30 km north from Puerto de Veracruz. It affected the most populated area of the state and where most of fish farms are located. The losses were unquantifiable. This was followed by Igor and Julia storms forming in the Atlantic (Figure 3).

Figure 3 Hurricane Karl impacting Veracruz, followed by Igor and Julia. 

This phenomenon struck a strip of 40 km wide by 200 km long where high winds caused the demolition of more than 2 million trees (^{SMN, 2010}). But the consequences worsened the next day with floods over several meters deep in whole villages because Karl hit the Pico de Orizaba and then poured all the water, which lasted 24 hours to reach the coast. Indeed it was the first time in thousands and perhaps millions of years that the Pico de Orizaba ran out of snow at the top.

Tropical Storm Matthew formed since September 20^th in the Caribbean but touched ground in Veracruz until the 29^th. This tropical storm was not very strong, but found a front cold that caused torrential rains in the south and north of Veracruz, causing flooding on both sides, because the ground was already very wet and rivers full by previous events. Matthew caused losses in fish farms in northern Veracruz and the second evacuation from Tlacotalpan when the return from the first event was not over yet.

Economic losses from 2010 hurricanes

Veracruz was the leading producer of tilapia in the country before 2010 hurricanes; with a production of 10 000 t / year (Figure 4). A census conducted by the Postgraduate College - Campus Veracruz, in 2009 and 2010 (before the rainy season) detected the existence of 800 commercial farms and households in 125 municipalities from the state, mainly in the central area. With other parallel studies and extrapolating to 212 municipalities, 2 000 aquaculture production units between large and small were detected in the state of Veracruz.

Figure 4 State participation in the production of tilapia, 2010. (^{CONAPESCA, 2012}). 

Material losses accounted for the Product-service system Tilapia, National Union of fish producers and the Postgraduate College was $ 160 million pesos ($16 million USD), but the loss in biomass for non-harvested products, because all organisms were taken away by water flow reaches another $ 150 million pesos ($15 million USD). Losing also 6 000 direct jobs and impacting income from 25 000 people.

The latter were immediate losses, but the greater loss is consumer welfare, since Veracruz is one of the main consumers of fish in the country, consuming 10 000 t / year. The decrease in supply impacted the increase in consumer prices with an increase of $20 00 pesos / kg. This represents a loss to the consumer of $ 200 million pesos a year for three years that took to recovery, losing $600 million pesos ($ 60 million USD).

The damage caused was in different ways, some by flood (Figure 5), and short cuts on power. Others by falling trees on the ponds (Figure 6), others floating cages by dragging due to strong currents of water (Figure 7) and loss of genetic material selected for 20 years, which is invaluable in monetary terms (Figure 8).

Figure 5 Farm Pargo industries, before and after Hurricane Karl. 

Figure 6 Farm La Conquista, before and after Hurricane Karl. 

Figure 7 Farm Tilmex before and after the storm Matthew. 

Figure 8 Farm la Ravana. Loss of genetic material. 

The after-effects of hysteria consisted on producers and investors resistance to reinvest risk capital on farms. Trust loss in financial services and the refusal of agricultural insurance companies to cover aquaculture and natural disasters.

Actions and learned experiences

Institutions such as the Postgraduate College - Campus Veracruz, the Technological Institute of Boca del Rio and producer organizations like the National Union of fish farmers, product- service system tilapia, Veracruz Committees and Acuacultores Veracruzanos A. C. gave to the task of organizing the affected in documenting the effects of the phenomena and report them to CONAPESCA, as well as training them on filling out forms and have access to the Funds for Natural Disasters (FONDEN) which consisted of $ 16 000.00 pesos per farm, obtained for 200 farms in the state of Veracruz plus neighboring states. The agency and lobbying reached the highest decision level in the country (Figure 9). Forums were performed to reflect and make proposals to be prepared in the future events.

Figure 9 Forums and management on the impacts of the disasters of 2010. 

In the reflection period with all stakeholders, got to the conclusion that there were several serious mistakes on behalf of the producers and other agents. First, there had never been a series of natural disasters of this magnitude in such a consistent way; the area of impact from Hurricane Karl had not suffered a similar experience for 50 years. Then there was no way to prevent or be prepared for these phenomena. The other cause of the serious consequences was that the specific characteristic of aquaculture, all producers were following water source; that is, placed in the riskiest parts of their land in the lowest place on the sea level, river banks and lakes and in areas of high risk with rapid response streams.

The infrastructure was not prepared to resist winds and water currents so strong. Many farms survived the impact but lost biomass because they did not have emergency power plant and did not have enough fuel (diesel) for several days and even if some were ready the water reached the power plants and did not worked. There was not an aquaculture insurance that covered biomass and infrastructure loss in case of natural disaster, but there is no culture from the producers to insure harvest.