Frosty
11-07-2007, 02:30 PM
Sound familiar. This is almost due south of New Orleans. Pray for the people. We all know what they are going through.
WORLD
Wave of water, mud buries Mexico village
Flood-ravaged region hit by 'mini-tsunami'
By Ioan Grillo | Associated Press
November 6, 2007
VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico - A massive wave of mud and water swept through a Mexican village Monday and up to 16 people may be buried, officials said, as rescuers elsewhere worked furiously to deliver aid to victims of devastating flooding in southern Mexico.
A landslide blocked a rain-swollen river and pushed a wall of water and debris over the remote Chiapas state village of San Juan Grijalva, home to about 600 people, most of whom fled into the hills ahead of the advancing wave.
The community, 45 miles southwest of Villahermosa, is near the border of heavily flooded Tabasco state and linked to the same river systems. The landslide was the latest damage after a week of flooding and heavy rains that left 80 percent of Tabasco under water, destroying or damaging the homes of about 500,000 people.
Chiapas Gov. Juan Sabines described the wave as a "mini-tsunami" that basically wiped out the structures in its path and may have swept away any victims.
"It was something horrible. You can only see the floor of the church that was there, a school that was there," Sabines told the Televisa television network after visiting the site. "This village practically disappeared."
Television footage suggested the wave had swept down a river valley.
Chiapas officials said between 14 and 16 people were feared buried; the federal Interior Department placed the number at 16. Meanwhile, at least 20,000 people in nearby Tabasco remained trapped on the rooftops of homes as hungry and dehydrated victims scrambled for government packages of food and medicine.
Gov. Andres Granier ordered central streets in Villahermosa, the Chiapas state capital, 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 death toll would stand at 10.
President Bush expressed his sympathy Monday to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Bush told Calderon the U.S. was ready to help the Mexican people meet their immediate needs and rebuild their lives and communities.
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said the U.S. has pledged $300,000 in emergency assistance to Tabasco and Chiapas.
"We are anxious to join the international community in providing assistance to our neighbors," he said.
After Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. in 2005, Mexico sent a convoy of about 200 unarmed soldiers and medical personnel across the border to aid in the recovery with portable kitchens and water treatment equipment.
More articles
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
WORLD
Wave of water, mud buries Mexico village
Flood-ravaged region hit by 'mini-tsunami'
By Ioan Grillo | Associated Press
November 6, 2007
VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico - A massive wave of mud and water swept through a Mexican village Monday and up to 16 people may be buried, officials said, as rescuers elsewhere worked furiously to deliver aid to victims of devastating flooding in southern Mexico.
A landslide blocked a rain-swollen river and pushed a wall of water and debris over the remote Chiapas state village of San Juan Grijalva, home to about 600 people, most of whom fled into the hills ahead of the advancing wave.
The community, 45 miles southwest of Villahermosa, is near the border of heavily flooded Tabasco state and linked to the same river systems. The landslide was the latest damage after a week of flooding and heavy rains that left 80 percent of Tabasco under water, destroying or damaging the homes of about 500,000 people.
Chiapas Gov. Juan Sabines described the wave as a "mini-tsunami" that basically wiped out the structures in its path and may have swept away any victims.
"It was something horrible. You can only see the floor of the church that was there, a school that was there," Sabines told the Televisa television network after visiting the site. "This village practically disappeared."
Television footage suggested the wave had swept down a river valley.
Chiapas officials said between 14 and 16 people were feared buried; the federal Interior Department placed the number at 16. Meanwhile, at least 20,000 people in nearby Tabasco remained trapped on the rooftops of homes as hungry and dehydrated victims scrambled for government packages of food and medicine.
Gov. Andres Granier ordered central streets in Villahermosa, the Chiapas state capital, 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 death toll would stand at 10.
President Bush expressed his sympathy Monday to Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Bush told Calderon the U.S. was ready to help the Mexican people meet their immediate needs and rebuild their lives and communities.
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said the U.S. has pledged $300,000 in emergency assistance to Tabasco and Chiapas.
"We are anxious to join the international community in providing assistance to our neighbors," he said.
After Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. in 2005, Mexico sent a convoy of about 200 unarmed soldiers and medical personnel across the border to aid in the recovery with portable kitchens and water treatment equipment.
More articles
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune