300,000 Mexicans trapped by floods

[HisDaughter]

300,000 Mexicans trapped by floods
By Ronald Buchanan In Mexico City

Published: November 3 2007 02:00 | Last updated: November 3 2007 02:00

President Felipe Calderón of Mexico has called for an all-out national effort to combat what he described as "one of the worst natural disasters in Mexican history" after floods in the country's southeastern state of Tabasco affected more than 1m peopleand trapped 300,000 in their homes.

Roughly half the entire population of the state has been affected, with more than half a million people evacuated and hundreds of people reported missing.

For a third day, Mr Calderón cancelled all other appointments yesterday to visit the affected area.

In an address to the nation before flying down to Tabasco, Mr Calderón promised to tackle "an extremely grave situation".

Hospital patients were flown to nearby states, and one man died of a heart attack during the evacuation of flooded homes.

Andrés Granier, Tabasco's state governor, said the tropical crops on which the population depended for much of its livelihood were "a total write-off".

There was no early word from the state oil company, Pemex, on the impact on its operations in the region.

For the first time in living memory, the centre of the state capital, Villahermosa, was flooded after the swollen waters of the River Grijalva burst through a makeshift dam erected by soldiers.

Much of Tabasco - a tropical Eden, in the words of one of Mexico's most popular songs - is crisscrossed by rivers and wetlands. It has been swamped by 10 days of torrential rain.

The response of the authorities has been swift but Francisco Ramírez Acuña, the interior minister, admitted: "This is more than any of us can handle."

In his message to the nation, Mr Calderón called on neighbours to grasp the initiative by helping each other, an unusual plea in a country whose previous governments have traditionally stifled grassroots efforts.

[Shammu]

1,000,000 people affected by Mexico floods
Nov 2 05:16 AM US/Eastern

Rescuers worked Friday on rescuing hundreds of thousands of people trapped by the worst floods ever recorded in Mexico's southern state of Tabasco, with more than one million resident affected.

The oil-rich state the size of Belgium is now 80 percent underwater, officials said, adding that they expect more rain in the next days.

"New Orleans was small compared to this," said state Governor Andres Granier, comparing the disaster to the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Area rivers continued to swell due to the non-stop rain, and more than 850 towns have been flooded in the Gulf of Mexico state, officials said.

"Of the 2.1 million Tabasquenos, more than half are suffering from this serious problem that has not been experienced in the history of Tabasco," Granier told reporters late Thursday.

But where Katrina killed more than 1,000 people in New Orleans alone, the flooding in Tabasco has only claimed one life so far.

"Around 300,000 people are still trapped in their homes in different locations," Granier said, adding that army and navy helicopters and rescue boats were working on the rescue effort.

Tabasco "is devastated," Granier said of the 29,000 square kilometer (11,000 square mile) state. "100 percent of crops are lost."

Granier warned that the flooding could get even worse as forecasters say a new cold front could bring more rain over the weekend.

President Felipe Calderon, addressed the nation late Thursday, telling Mexicans to donate aid to flood victims.

"The situation is extraordinarily grave," Calderon said, describing the situation as "one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country."

Many Tabasquenos "have lost their homes, their belongings, their crops, and the means to maintain their children," Calderon said. "Others remain in their homes but with no access to food, water or medicine."

Some 400 doctors and health workers were deployed to more than 300 towns in the region to detect any outbreak of infections, according to Tabasco's Civil Protection agency.

State officials also warned that non-stop rain would continue to result in swollen rivers.

The floods began last week when a cold front brought heavy rain that caused the Grijalva, Carrizal and Puxcatan rivers to burst their banks.

Soldiers and state authorities had placed more than 700,000 sand bags along the rivers to prevent flooding, but the water rose above the barriers.

The floods worsened over the past three days as authorities drained water from two dams in the neighboring state of Chiapas to prevent them from exceeding their capacity.

The water rose again Thursday in the state capital of Villahermosa, which was flooded Wednesday after the Grijalva River burst its banks.

But hundreds of Villahermosa residents refused to leave their flooded homes amid reports of looting in the city of 750,000 people.

"There's no policing," a Villahermosa woman told reporters. "The thieves climb on the roofs and open the doors through there."

In Chiapas, authorities declared a state of emergency in 22 municipalities while 2,500 people have been taken to shelters.

The Federal Electricity Commission also said it was unclear when it would be able to close the spigots in the Penitas dam in Chiapas.

1,000,000 people affected by Mexico floods

[Shammu]

One thing that I want to ask is your prayers for is for the Gospel to be spread during this tragedy. Tabasco,  Mexico is the state with the Highest percentage of Born again Christians in Mexico. So eventhough it's sad and terrible, the Hope and Good News of Jesus Christ are still the answer to many people who have lost everything.

[HisDaughter]

Oh my goodness!  Thanks for the update Dreamweaver! 

[Shammu]

Mexican flood victims scramble for food

By IOAN GRILLO, Associated Press Writer 25 minutes ago

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico - Hungry and dehydrated victims of one of the worst floods in Mexico's history scrambled for government packages of food and medicine, while at least 20,000 people remained trapped Monday on the rooftops of homes swallowed by water.

Residents were running dangerously short of food and water after nearly a week of floods left 80 percent of the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco under water and destroyed or damaged the homes of about half a million people. Gov. Andres Granier ordered central streets in the state capital of Villahermosa closed to all but rescue workers to prevent looting.

Authorities said two more bodies were found Sunday in the brackish waters covering much of the region. If the deaths are confirmed to have been caused by the flooding, the disaster's death toll would stand at 10.

Government officials worked furiously to distribute aid, and authorities continued trolling the water-filled streets looking for stranded residents.

Villahermosa, the state capital, was still completely under water, though river levels had begun to drop after rising to historic levels. The National Water Commission said it had begun efforts to start pumping the streets.

Desperation grew among residents who could not get their hands on government-supplied food and water or who found themselves cut off from crucial medical supplies. Garbage piled up in the murky waters days after the city suspended most public services including trash collection.

As helicopters carrying aid made stops in hard-hit areas, disputes broke out among victims who pushed through crowds and struggled frantically for the packages.

"People are fighting over food and water, and the lack of electricity and running water are making life in the city impossible," said Martha Lilia Lopez, who has been handing out food to victims on behalf of a nonprofit foundation she heads.

Daniel Montiel Ortiz, who oversaw helicopter rescue efforts for the federal police, said rescuers were now focused on "selective evacuations" — primarily of sick people — and delivering badly needed supplies to isolated communities still surrounded by water.

Some people broke into shuttered stores and took food and household goods, and police reported detaining about 50 people for looting over the last couple of days. But Ortiz called those "isolated incidents."

Soldiers created makeshift docks out of sandbags for boats that trolled the water-filled streets, rescuing stranded victims. Some people hitched boat rides back to homes they abandoned a week earlier to retrieve medication, clothing and other supplies before returning to shelters.

"We are tired of being in the shelter, but who knows when we will be able to return home?" said Mariano Beltran, 35, as he waited for a lift home to pick up medicine for his mother.

Since rivers first began to burst their banks Oct. 28, at least half a million people have been affected by lost power and cut-off roads, according to the government. In neighboring Chiapas state, four bridges and 180 miles of roads were washed out.

Many in Tabasco remained camped out on the rooftops or upper floors of their flooded homes to guard their possessions from looters, but their resolve was waning.

"We spent days without food. We thought we were going to die," said Marta Vidal, 47, who was taken to safety by helicopter.

President Felipe Calderon visited the city Sunday and assured the government would help victims get back on their feet with three months of free electricity and tax exemptions. He also vowed to crackdown on looting.

"I know that the situation has been very grave, but it is getting better," Calderon told emergency officials.

Mexican flood victims scramble for food

[Brother Jerry]

My prayers will go out for this event.


But I am almost ashamed to admit this...when I read the subject matter I first wondered what State had the flooding (TX, CA, etc)