Staff from the Mérida City Council carried out the collection of rubble, stones, and wooden materials that occupied a large part of the intersection of streets 78 and 59-A of the Historic Center. The front part of the entrance of the house located on that corner collapsed on Tuesday, August 9th due to the rains, wind, the softening of the walls due to the humidity, and the abandonment of the owners.
According to data from the Mérida City council, the Historic Center registers some 230 properties in danger due to serious structural damage consequence of lack of maintenance, abandonment, and omission of the owners that have allowed constructions of more than 100 years to be exposed to weather conditions, putting pedestrians at serious risk.
In the case of the house located on Calle 78 con 59-A -corner of Campana Grande-, the damage to the house became evident after two traffic accidents that occurred at that intersection in May and June. and that damaged the foundations of the century-old construction.
The lack of maintenance along with the intense rains and strong winds of the last few days, resulted in the detachment of roofs and walls on the front part of this private residence enabled as a warehouse and that was once a furniture upholstery workshop that operated until the early 2000s.
On this issue, the municipal authority assigned a crew of workers from the Public Works Department to remove the waste materials that filled the streets and interfered with vehicle traffic. With this situation, the property owner’s family refused to demolish another part of the structure of the house that is visibly damaged in ceilings and walls.
The construction that belongs to the family with the last name Guzmán is in communication with the municipal authorities to establish the security conditions of the house that was exposed on its walls, putting pedestrians and passers-by at risk.
The Merida City Council announced that, like this house, some 230 properties that are located in the Historic Center of the city are at serious risk of an accident due to problems in their structures, the passage of time and the lack of maintenance and attention by their owners.
The same authority has posted warning signs on some of these old houses and buildings’ walls, windows, and sidewalks; however, little or nothing is done to maintain the safety of the citizens. And it is evident that the owners are doing nothing to protect and maintain these buildings.
According to the report, it was the partial collapse of the 15 by 6 meter building, an old structure made of masonry and wood. (Photo: Yucatan Ahora)
“The neighborhoods of Santiago, Santa Ana, La Mejorada, San Juan and San Cristóbal accumulate the largest number of abandoned properties” said the Directorate of Civil Protection on a statement.
The Merida City Council recommends citizens to avoid walking in front of these properties as much as possible.
TYT Newsroom
1 comment
The problem is that it is almost impossible to obtain permission to renovate from INAH