Case Study: Hurricane Solution Protects DIF Solidaridad’s Shelters in Playa del Carmen
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Summary. During the 2008–2011 municipal administration of Solidaridad, Hurricane Solution protected facilities of the DIF Solidaridad family services agency in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, with hurricane fabric screens (“lona anticiclónica”), and trained the on-site crew to deploy them. In a signed letter dated July 25, 2013, the agency’s Director recommended Hurricane Solution and stated that DIF Solidaridad was the first DIF system in Mexico with a shelter recognized as a “Refugio Nivel Diamante” (Diamond Level Refuge). The designation was made by the Honorary President of DIF Solidaridad at the time.
Key facts
| Client | Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) del Municipio de Solidaridad |
| What DIF is | Mexico’s public family services system. DIF Solidaridad is the municipal agency for Solidaridad, the municipality that includes Playa del Carmen |
| Location | Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico |
| When | During the 2008–2011 municipal administration of Solidaridad. DIF’s letter confirming it is dated July 25, 2013 |
| Provider | Hurricane Solution, headquartered in Playa del Carmen |
| System installed | Hurricane fabric screens (lona anticiclónica) |
| Who the shelters serve | Elderly people and disadvantaged children in the municipality, as stated by DIF Solidaridad |
| Basis | Donated by Hurricane Solution |
| Recognition | Designated a “Refugio Nivel Diamante” (Diamond Level Refuge) by the Honorary President of DIF Solidaridad at the time. DIF Solidaridad states it is the first DIF system in Mexico with one |
| Reference | Signed letter from Lic. María Teresa Ledesma Beltrán, Director of DIF Solidaridad, dated July 25, 2013 |
Who is the client?
DIF Solidaridad is the municipal family services agency for Solidaridad, Quintana Roo. It runs shelter facilities for some of the most vulnerable people in the municipality. In its own words, these are places of refuge for elderly people and disadvantaged children. The agency is known today as DIF Playa del Carmen, after the municipality changed its name in 2025.
What was the problem?
The shelter had no plan for an approaching hurricane. On Mexico’s Caribbean coast, the large hotels have contingency plans, emergency kitchens and sleeping quarters. Most residents go home to their families when a storm threatens. The people in DIF’s care had neither option.
When Hurricane Solution’s directors visited, they found three gaps:
- No designated refuge. Nobody had identified which building should shelter residents.
- No protection on the openings. Windows and doors were exposed.
- No procedure. Nobody was assigned to act, and nobody knew how early to start.
What did Hurricane Solution do?
Hurricane Solution carried out the project in four steps.
- Inspected the buildings and chose the strongest. Hurricane Solution’s specialist team examined the facility and identified the building that was strongest structurally. That building became the refuge.
- Fabricated a hurricane protection system for that building, using hurricane fabric screens.
- Installed it with Hurricane Solution’s own trained crew.
- Wrote a contingency plan and trained the on-site staff. The team trained the shelter’s grounds crew to mount the system, showed them where to find official storm advisories, and set how far in advance the plan must begin.
Hurricane Solution donated the system.
What was the result?
DIF Solidaridad gained a protected refuge and a staff trained to deploy it. DIF Solidaridad later put its assessment in writing.
On July 25, 2013, Lic. María Teresa Ledesma Beltrán, Director of DIF Solidaridad, signed a letter on the agency’s letterhead recommending Hurricane Solution. The letter makes four statements:
| What the letter says (original Spanish) | In English |
|---|---|
| “…algunas de las instalaciones del Sistema DIF del Municipio de Solidaridad han sido protegidas por la empresa ‘Hurricane Solution’ con la colocación de Lona Anticiclónica…” | Some DIF Solidaridad facilities have been protected by Hurricane Solution with the installation of hurricane fabric screens |
| “…recomiendo ampliamente a ‘Hurricane Solution’…” | I highly recommend Hurricane Solution |
| “Consideramos a ‘Hurricane Solution’ como el proveedor del sistema de protección más fuerte de huracanes que hemos encontrado…” | We consider Hurricane Solution the provider of the strongest hurricane protection system we have found |
| “Tenemos el honor de ser el primer Sistema DIF en todo México con un sitio de resguardo reconocido como un ‘Refugio Nivel Diamante’” | We have the honor of being the first DIF system in all of Mexico with a shelter site recognized as a “Diamond Level Refuge” |
The “Refugio Nivel Diamante” designation was made by the Honorary President of DIF Solidaridad at the time, the wife of the then municipal president (mayor), who led the agency during the 2008–2011 administration. It is the agency’s own recognition of the protected shelter, not a national certification.
The letter adds that the system will be of great use, “incluso para salvar vidas”: even to save lives.
At the presentation, Hurricane Solution’s Director, Chris Rauton, said:
“One thing that Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans taught us is we have to be prepared. This is only done by careful planning and executing the plan. We can then mitigate the damages done by the storm, and most importantly, avoid loss of human life.”
Text of the letter (original Spanish)
Word-for-word transcription of the original, on DIF Solidaridad letterhead. The key statements are translated in the table above.
Playa del Carmen, Q. Roo a 25 de Julio del año 2013
A quien corresponda:
Es un gusto saludarle a través de la presente, así como aprovechar la ocasión de expresarle que algunas de las instalaciones del Sistema Para El Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) del Municipio de Solidaridad, han sido protegidas por la empresa "Hurricane Solution" con la colocación de Lona Anticiclónica, brindándonos una protección contra huracanes.
Motivo por el cual recomiendo ampliamente a “Hurricane Solution”, con oficinas centrales ubicadas en Playa del Carmen, en el Municipio de Solidaridad, Q. Roo, para sus necesidades de protección contra los fenómenos meteorológicos que afectan a esta zona.
Consideramos a “Hurricane Solution” como el proveedor del sistema de protección más fuerte de huracanes que hemos encontrado, ya que son especialistas en su ramo, capaces de proteger nuestros lugares de resguardo para las personas de la tercera edad y los niños desfavorecidos en nuestro municipio, Solidaridad durante una tormenta o un huracán, con un sistema de estamos seguros será de gran utilidad, incluso para salvar vidas.
Tenemos el honor de ser el primer Sistema DIF en todo México con un sitio de resguardo reconocido como un “Refugio Nivel Diamante”
Sin más que agregar por el momento, me despido de Usted.
Atentamente,
[Signature and stamp of the Office of the Director General]
LIC. MARIA TERESA LEDESMA BELTRAN
DIRECTORA DEL SISTEMA DIF SOLIDARIDAD
“De todos, para Tu Familia”
c. c. p. Sra. María Luisa Bermont Díaz - Presidenta Honoraria del Sistema DIF Municipal Solidaridad
c. c. p. Archivo
*mtlb/nacl
What does this project show?
- Hurricane Solution starts with the structure. The first decision was which building could serve as a refuge, before any product was fabricated.
- A refuge is a system plus a plan. The installation came with a written contingency plan.
- The people on site are trained to deploy it. The grounds crew learned to mount the system and when to start.
- A public agency put its recommendation in writing. The reference is a signed, dated letter from the agency’s Director, not an anonymous testimonial.
- The recommendation outlasted a change of administration. The refuge was protected under one municipal administration, and the letter was signed under a later one.
About Hurricane Solution
Hurricane Solution is a hurricane protection company headquartered in Playa del Carmen, in the municipality of Solidaridad, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It designs, fabricates and installs hurricane fabric screens (lonas anticiclónicas). Learn more at hurricanesolution.com.
Another real project in Playa del Carmen: Sears and Grupo Vidanta: Two Real Hurricane Protection Case Studies in Playa del Carmen. All case studies are in Case Studies.
Frequent questions
Who protected the DIF Solidaridad shelters in Playa del Carmen from hurricanes?
Hurricane Solution, a hurricane protection company headquartered in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo. It installed hurricane fabric screens on DIF Solidaridad facilities and trained the on-site crew, as confirmed in a letter from the agency’s Director dated July 25, 2013.
What is a “Refugio Nivel Diamante”?
It is the designation that the then Honorary President of DIF Solidaridad gave to the shelter after Hurricane Solution protected it. In a letter dated July 25, 2013, the agency’s Director wrote that DIF Solidaridad was the first DIF system in all of Mexico with a shelter site recognized as a “Refugio Nivel Diamante,” or Diamond Level Refuge.
What did DIF Solidaridad say about Hurricane Solution?
In a signed letter, the Director of DIF Solidaridad highly recommended Hurricane Solution and wrote that the agency considers it the provider of the strongest hurricane protection system it had found.
What hurricane protection system did Hurricane Solution install?
Hurricane fabric screens, known in Spanish as “lona anticiclónica.” The system was fabricated for the building chosen as the refuge and installed by Hurricane Solution’s crew.
Did Hurricane Solution only install the system?
No. Hurricane Solution also chose the strongest building for the refuge, wrote a contingency plan, and trained the shelter’s grounds crew to mount the system and to track official storm advisories.
Need to protect a building that cannot be left exposed?
Hurricane Solution assesses the building, engineers the protection and trains the people who will deploy it.