Reuters North American News Service, November 2nd, 2007
VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico(Reuters) - Thousands of people
fled a Mexican city devastated by floods Friday after rising
waters burst through sandbag barriers in a disaster that has
left most of the tropical state of Tabasco under water.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless and
one person killed in the worst flooding the low-lying swampy
state has seen in more than 50 years.
The banks of the Grijalva River, which winds through state
capital Villahermosa, burst earlier this week after days of
heavy rains.
People and livestock swam through the streets Friday
after a murky, brown deluge burst through sandbags in
Villahermosa, home to around half a million people.
Hungry and thirsty residents stood in long lines at
supermarkets, although some stores closed after running out of
food, water and medicine.
"There isn't much on the shelves, and what is left is very
expensive," said Juan Pablo Rosas.
The army evacuated most of the city center Thursday
night after a levee broke.
President Felipe Calderon said Mexico's entire air force
was engaged in an airlift to ferry supplies into Villahermosa
and get residents out. He called on private airlines to help
the effort.
"We are in a critical situation," Calderon said during a
visit to the region.
He said army troops and federal police would soon be
patrolling the streets to prevent looting and price gouging.
Interior Minister Francisco Ramirez acknowledged the
disaster took the government by surprise.
"The event overwhelmed everyone and that's why we all have
to work intensely," he said. The city center was under between
6 1/2 feet and 19 feet of water.
Rescue workers broke windows of homes to reach stranded
residents. Thousands fled in military helicopters or private
trucks.
"When will this finish?" said resident Maria de la Luz
Robles. "This is chaotic and depressing."
Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier said more than 1 million
people, about half of the state's population, were affected by
the flooding. Scores called local radio programs pleading to be
rescued. Many shelters were evacuated after floodwaters
overtook them.
Navy helicopters rescued scores of people Friday morning
from the village of El Aguacate. They had gathered on a tiny
plot of high land as flood waters rose around them.
Water half-covered several giant carved stone heads built
by the Olmecs, the mother culture of Mesoamerica, at Tabasco's
La Venta archeological site. Some of the heads are more than 9
feettall.
The floods were triggered by storms that have wreaked havoc
in the oil industry along Mexico's Gulf coast but the main oil
port of Coatzacoalcos opened Friday after closing earlier in
the week due to the bad weather.
