Tabasco Sauce

[jack]

Climate Change? What Climate Change?

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico - Thousands of people clung to rooftops, huddled inside waterlogged homes or hunkered down in shelters in an attempt to survive the worst flooding the low-lying Gulf state of Tabasco has seen in 50 years.

Military trucks hauled bottled water, food and clothing to Mexico’s flooded Gulf coast Friday as rescue workers in helicopters and boats worked furiously to retrieve victims.

A week of heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, leaving 70 percent of Tabasco underwater. Nearly all services, including drinking water and public transportation, were shut down in the state capital, Villahermosa, 80 percent of which was underwater.

Thousands of soldiers and volunteers were working to strengthen a raised four-lane highway that serves as a levy around the capital. If it breaks, 95 percent of the city would be under 7 feet of water.

"God help us — nothing like this has ever happened to us. I had to jump from a roof so they would be able to get to me," said Francisca Almeida, who was gripping a rope tied around a lamppost to keep from being swept away.

With food and drinking water scarce, health officials warned against epidemics of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

It was also becoming difficult to find a safe place to put refugees. Officials improvised, turning parking garages and any other dry structure into temporary shelters. Dozens of hospitals and medical centers were also flooded, complicating treatment of the sick.

'Extraordinarily grave'
“The situation is extraordinarily grave: This is one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country,” President Felipe Calderon said in a televised address Thursday night.

Floodwaters half-covered several giant carved stone heads built by the Olmecs, one of the first great civilizations in the Americas, at the state's La Venta archeological site. Some of the heads are more than 9 feet tall.

Forecasters predicted more precipitation in the coming days. The flooding was not related to Tropical Storm Noel, which pounded the Caribbean.


The Grijalva River, one of two large waterways ringing Villahermosa, has risen 6.5 feet above its “critical” level and gushed into the city’s center. Authorities said some of the rivers were continuing to rise.

Rescue workers in boats and helicopters plucked desperate residents from their rooftops and led thousands to shelters, but the task was proving to be more than they could handle.

Of the estimated 900,000 people whose homes were flooded, damaged or cut off, 300,000 still had not been rescued Thursday and potable water supplies were exhausted in Villahermosa, Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier said. Police, soldiers and military workers were still trying to reach them.

In Villahermosa, dozens of survivors anxious about relatives and friends crowded outside government offices seeking assistance. Others waded despondently through waist-deep water or wandered along highways leading out of the capital.

Tabasco state floods every year around this time, and many poor, low-lying neighborhoods have grown accustomed to spending half a year with the first floor of their home under water. But this year's flooding has taken even flood-weary residents by surprise.

“We lost everything,” said Manuel Gonzalez, whose house was swallowed by the floodwaters early Thursday. “I left without one peso in my pocket and I can’t find my siblings.”

Chiapas also sees flooding
The state of Chiapas, which borders Tabasco to the south, also reported serious flooding, with officials there estimating that more than 100,000 people had been affected.

Calderon asked Mexicans to contribute bottled water, canned goods, diapers and other vital supplies to donation centers around the country.

“Nobody can stand around with his arms crossed,” Calderon said. “We can’t and won’t abandon our brothers and sisters in Tabasco.”

 

[jack]

It's 62 degrees and sunny in Stowe today, btw.

 

[Time]

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock, Tick...

 

[The Dork Lord]

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[El Machorro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDizcJoSxTc&feature=related